Eastside Distilling, along with canning and bottling capabilities through its MotherLode subsidiary, has signed an agreement with Source Code Beverage to begin canning the latter's Backpack Wine varieties.
Backpack Wine is among the first to offer quality wines from the state of Washington in take-anywhere, easy-open, recyclable cans. Backpack Wine lets you skip the cork, grab a pack and take their quality wines with you, no matter how far off (or on!) the beaten path you want to go. Currently Backpack Wine distributes its products through retail outlets in 30 states, as well as its online store at backpack-wine.com. During 2017, the company had production of approximately 20,000 cases with growth anticipated in 2018.
Currently, Backpack Wine offers multiple unique Washington-based canned wines, including:
Cheeky Rose™, a Washington State Pinot Blanc and Sangiovese Rose blend, is a drier expression, with a touch of peach, strawberry and rose petal; a clean crisp blush wine, it’s a bright treat with an open grill in the summer or rich foods in the winter.
Snappy White™, a Washington State Riesling based blend, has a touch of sweetness and weight that finishes with refreshing acidity. This balanced white delivers notes of green apple and Asian pear, making it perfect for cocktail hour or with spicy summer dishes.
Rowdy Red, a tasty blend of Washington State Merlot and Syrah, shows dark cherry on the nose. It drinks velvety smooth showing black cherry, plum and a touch of spice. Chill a bit and enjoy anywhere.
“We are pleased to be working with the team at Eastside to package our products; enabling us to devote our time to the things that we do best and continue the consistent growth of the business,” said Backpack Wine founder Jim Doehring. “We keep our eyes on our customers and their on-the-go lifestyles, where the convenience of the can is a great advantage. Backpack Wine is for anyone who wants to enjoy great wine wherever life takes them, and we’re excited to bring quality canned wine into the hands of more customers.”
Grover Wickersham, CEO of Eastside, said, “We are excited to work with Backpack Wine on this important component of their business. We expect that Eastside’s canning capabilities will help drive efficiencies and meet the expected growth demands for Backpack Wine in 2018 and beyond. Eastside and Backpack Wine are well positioned to capitalize on significant growth trends taking place within the canned wine market. Much of this growth is attributable to millennials seeking convenient alternatives to fit their active lifestyles, as well as the sustainability benefits of cans. We believe Backpack has tapped into something with great potential.”
Eastside’s wine canning line includes such features as a 5-head counter pressure filler and single head seamer and will allow for production volume of 3,000 24-can cases per day. The custom built canning line is designed to produce Ball Corporation's popular "slim can" in 187ml, 200ml and 250ml sizes. Eastside will be canning 250ml cans for Backpack, in a four-pack case. With its strikingly slender silhouette, the slim can cuts a fine figure, making it the perfect away-from-home companion. The slim can is a smart format for brands seeking to target single-family households, and time-constrained consumers looking for high-quality, convenient, immediate drink solutions. This is a convenient alternative for those who have active lifestyles. Overall, the line will be able to can wine and “ready-to-drink” (“RTD”) beverages containing up to 20% alcohol by volume.
Source: Company Press Release