A mobile canning company that services directly to local micro breweries is setting up its headquarters in Chattanooga.
Mo Oelker, owner and founder of Toucan Mobile Canning, said, "We are going to base our operations here and lease some warehouse space later this summer."
He said, "We will have a 20-foot box truck with a micro canning line that we take right to the brewery. We take everything they need right to them - cans and other packaging, fill the cans and leave the brewer with product they can sell.
"We have our machine on order. It will be delivered mid-August and our launch date is Monday, Sept. 9."
Toucan Mobile Canning initially plans to serve breweries in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.
Mr. Oelker said, "Cans are becoming embraced as the preferred package for craft beer. We are delighted to be joining the MobileCanningSystems affiliate community and look forward to taking delivery of our Wild Goose Canning Technologies MC-250 canning line,modified for mobility, and enabling brewers in our region to offer their great product in cans.
“The concept is simple yet powerful. We bring the canning line and the production supplies to the brewery when their beer is ready, eliminating the need for brewers tooutlay precious capital to purchase their own canning line, dedicate facility space for the machine and all the necessary supplies, or train and pay for additional labor to run and maintain an additional piece of equipment and manage supplies inventory."”
“MobileCanningSystems is pleased to welcome Toucan Mobile Canning into our affiliate program,” said Pat Hartman, MobileCanningSystems co-founder and managing partner. “Our affiliates all share our passion for helping craft brewers expand their market by packaging their product in cans. Through comprehensive startup support and training, our affiliates are able to quickly deliver effective, dependable service using a well-proven approach.”
Toucan Mobile Canning was formed in early 2013 over pints of craft beer at Lost River Pizza in Bowling Green, Ky. Mr. Oelker said, "I was discussing the benefits of putting craft beer in aluminum cans with a microbrewer visiting from Lexington, Ky., and I realized that the concept of mobile canning would provide brewers the ability to package their beer in 'eco-friendly, hand-held kegs.'
Mr. Oelker has over 30 years of experience in the aluminum industry and has put together a team of partners that has a vested interest in both craft beer and aluminum. After researching the market, "we settled on Chattanooga, Tn. as a base for operations. This location allows Toucan Mobile Canning to serve a large number of brewers within a short drive. Being a mobile business will allow the company to grow with its customers and locate additional capacity wherever the brewers need it."
For more information on Toucan, visit the website at www.toucanmobilecanning.com, follow them on Twitter @toucanmobile, or contact Mo Oelker at 270-725-0043. Email: mo@toucanmobilecanning.com