Manchester, New Hampshire-based Iron Heart Canning Co.—a mobile beverage packager serving breweries, cideries, wineries, distilleries, co-packing facilities, and non-alcoholic producers—announced that it has acquired NorthStar Mobile Canning and the mobile canning operations of Lagersmith Canning Co., who were both serving the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota craft beverage market. Lagersmith Canning Co. will continue to operate its consumable supply business independently, offering shrink-sleeved cans, brite cans, ends, case trays, and PakTechs.
“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to bring our industry-leading canning services and expertise into the Upper Midwest,” said Tyler Wille, founder and CEO of Iron Heart Canning. “Minnesota is an incredible market in the craft industry, and our goal is to foster and grow the partnerships NorthStar and Lagersmith have in place. We are also eager to begin building new partnerships within the region.”
Beginning with one canning line, Iron Heart Canning launched in 2013, just as the canned-beer craze was taking off. “We wanted to be a trailblazer, offering premium, cost-effective mobile packaging solutions on a small scale, which has in turn helped craft producers knock down market barriers in an industry long dominated by large macro brands,” Wille said.
With the acquisition of the two canning operations in the Twin Cities, Iron Heart now operates more than 75 canning lines across 26 states, providing beverage packaging services throughout New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, the Midwest, and now the Upper Midwest.
“We are passionate about being the best at two things,” said Wille. “First and foremost is serving our customers and forging long term partnerships. The second is our obsession with being the quality leader in mobile canning. Through our seam excellence program, dissolved oxygen testing, in-house lab capabilities, and dedicated internal resources for continually advancing our expertise, our goal is to offer a solution that’s more valuable than owning an in-house line.”