The hook and the slogan is that Northern Canning offers “Professional packaging services at your doorstep” but there’s something more to this Bolton-based newcomer – something distinctly Canadian. Maybe it’s the image of the company’s 4x4 hauling its mobile canning line in a logo- wrapped trailer through the snowcapped Opeongo Hills in Southern Ontario. Maybe it’s the reason they’ve committed to cans: Seventy-five percent of all cans manufactured are still in circulation today and they contain more than three times the recycled content than glass bottles. Or maybe it’s the spirit of purpose that has touched so many craft breweries, distilleries, and cider houses. “We’re 100 percent locally owned and owner-operated,” co-owner Nicole Stamcos explained with determination in her voice. “We are proud to say that because most of our clients are in the same boat; small batch beverage producers that do most of the work themselves. There’s something special about small businesses working together to make each other better and grow the industry they love.” Since hitting the road for the first time in September 2017, Northern Canning has already canned over a quarter million beverages – and Nicole told Spotlight on Business that they plan to reach well over one million cans by the time the fourth quarter begins this year.
By David MacDonald I f you’re a regular Spotlight on Business reader, you know I’m a numbers guy. Nothing gets the imagination going like a good stat or figure. That’s why I had to press Nicole to find out just what getting to the million cans mark will look like day-to- day in 2018. “Once we’re up and running, we can package up to 10 hec- tolitres per hour and up to 75 hectolitres per day,” she told me without skipping a beat. For you readers in the land of the free and the home of the brave that’s a daily output of over 1981 gallons or 15000 cans. Nicole’s confidence in hitting the million-mark by Septem- ber has a lot to do with Northern Canning’s primary clien- tele: Southern Ontario’s craft beer industry. There are cur- rently 68 small, independent breweries in Ontario with the lion’s share of the craft beer flowing from the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) just an hour south of Northern Canning’s home base in Bolton. “The craft beer and other craft beverage industries are mainly made-up of independently owned and operated businesses and this is something we wanted to be a part of,” Nicole explained. “Working alongside other local- ly-owned businesses gives us a chance to really help, to really be a part of their business and make a difference. We get to know our client’s needs and we get to be a part of their growth and success. To us, that means everything. When they grow, so do we. There are a lot of reasons to be a proud independent owner. There is a true beauty in producing and living out your dream, but to be honest one of main reasons for us would be that we get to be present – both for ourselves and our customers. Every client we work with is in a different stage, comes from a different back- ground, has different goals and dreams for their business. To say it’s important to be present would be an understate- ment. It is our entire mission.” “To us, that means everything. When they grow, so do we.” “We initially launched the company based on the craft beer industry’s growing demand for getting their product into a can,” she continued. “This is partly due to the positive impact on the environment. Seventy-five percent of cans ever manufactured are still in circulation today and they contain three times the recycled content of glass bottles. The next thing brewers consider is the business side of going with cans. Cans are 15 times lighter than glass bottles and they save you on shipping. It also keeps your beer fresher because aluminum keeps out UV rays and oxygen.” But no one ever said mobile canning was easy, Nicole explained. “It’s extremely fun at times of course, but when our crew is out there battling with the trials and tribulations of being mobile it can be another story.”
127 DECEMBER 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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