BREAKING BARRIERS IN THE BEVERAGE CANNING INDUSTRY by Anita Flowers VESSEL PACKAGING
West Coast Canning began when friends Matt Leslie and Kevin Peterson teamed up to enter the mobile canning craft beer industry. Craft beer in cans had emerged as a trend in the US market and mobile canning operations were beginning to pop up in California and Colorado. After assessing the craft beer market in British Columbia, the two friends made the leap into the mobile canning business. West Coast Canning opened in April of 2014. In 2016, West Coast Canning merged with Sessions Craft Canning in Ontario. Sessions had been the second company in Canada to get into mobile canning, following the path of West Coast. The West Coast team partnered with Jeff Rogowsky from Sessions to open a nationwide operation now called Vessel Packaging, to better serve their customers across North America. “The whole goal was to be able to operate as a company across the country and share the effi - ciencies. We could begin to leverage our can supply and funnel it all into one so that we could really benefit the people that we’re working with. It would ensure that the can supply was shored up for our customers, but they wouldn’t have to know the pains of dealing with a major can man- ufacturer,” said Leslie. After operating together for a couple of years, the two companies decided to rebrand and bring everything together under one roof in order to truly benefit from becoming a national company. “We decided to let everyone know we’re here for everyone across the country. The completion of our rebrand solidifies and more clearly defines the products and services we now provide to beverage companies of all sizes. We needed something to echo the professionalism and scope of packaging services that we offer, and this is it,” said Leslie.
F rom Vancouver to Halifax and even beyond the border, for all beverages from craft beer to Ready to Drink cocktails to spar- kling water, Vessel Packaging has a can for you. In October of 2019, West Coast Canning Inc and Sessions Craft Canning Ltd, already sister companies, announced the decision to unify under one brand and vision, Vessel Packaging Company, bringing together their teams across Canada and continuing to lead the charge in the beverage canning industry for traditional beer and wine markets, as well as new markets like hard seltzers and Ready-to-Drink cocktails. Spotlight on Business chatted with Matt Leslie, co-founder and CEO, of Vessel Packaging, about the rebranding process and what’s new in the world of beverage canning.
“ The completion of our rebrand solidifies and more clearly defines the products and services we now provide to beverage companies of all sizes.”
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JUNE 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2020
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