In this article, you’ll learn:
- Why private label canned coffee is rising in popularity
- How working with third-party manufacturers can save money and time
- Why it’s important to find a unique selling point for your private label canned coffee
Freshly brewed coffee will always have its place in coffee culture. That said, businesses that fail to capitalise on fast-growing formats such as ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee risk missing out on a significant opportunity.
One option for businesses eager to explore this path is manufacturing canned coffee with a private label partner. Compared to doing it in-house, you save money on the necessary equipment, labour, and space needed to run the entire operation.
Whichever path you choose, there’s a lot to consider. To better understand the key factors businesses should pay attention to, I spoke to Miles Schwartz, founder of Bare Brew, based in Chicago, USA. Read on for his insight.
What are the benefits of working with manufacturers for private label canned coffee?
The main benefit of working with manufacturers for private label canned coffee is how quickly and easily you can go to market. As a result, you can tap into RTD trends as they emerge, rather than lagging behind competitors.
Recent surveys show that younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and millennials, are more health-conscious than ever. This is pushing them toward cold brew coffee for its perceived benefits, such as its lower acidity and smooth mouthfeel. According to Miles, a significant portion of demand for this type of product comes from consumers focused on performance, fitness, and convenience.
“Bare Brew launched because we saw a massive gap in the market,” Miles tells me. “Consumers – specifically biohackers, fitness enthusiasts, and performance-focused professionals – wanted the best canned coffee without the junk.” Because many already lead busy lives, they prioritise grab-and-go coffee options that don’t compromise on quality or flavour.
Bare Brew has taken full advantage of this by using canned coffee to deliver the high-caffeine cold brew. “It contains 320mg of pure caffeine from just two ingredients: arabica coffee and filtered water,“ he explains. It’s as functionally beneficial as possible, demonstrating the ways to adjust RTD formulations to ongoing trends.
One way to capitalise on these trends is through private label canned coffee production, meaning you can meet both the demand for RTD coffee cans and the expectations of the consumers driving it.
Should you source private label canned coffee for your business?
Compared to in-house RTD production, private label canned coffee is more streamlined and budget-friendly. By working with a private label partner, you can significantly reduce the time and internal resources required for formulation, testing, and compliance, as much of this process is handled by the manufacturer.
For businesses entering the RTD space for the first time, Miles suggests that partnering with private-label manufacturers is often the safer route. “That’s exactly what we did with Bare Brew,” he says. “It’s the only reason we’re able to move this fast in the functional cold brew market.”
Although industrial equipment can eventually pay for itself, the costs involved can be a major bottleneck for newer cold brew businesses. High set-up expenses are only the beginning, as in-house production also brings a range of operational costs, from labour and warehouse space to the safety and regulatory certifications required to produce and sell beverages locally and in other markets.
“Building your own facility costs $500K to $1M or more, and takes 12 to 18 months,” he explains. “We don’t have time for that.” With competition rising quickly, businesses that enter late may have to spend significantly more on marketing to win over consumers already loyal to early brands.
At Hardtank, timelines depend on the level of customisation. Ready-to-market or slightly modified formulas can typically be delivered within four to six weeks after final approval. More advanced custom formulation projects, including R&D and testing, usually take around three months from concept to completion. We offer pre-developed private label canned drinks for high-demand flavours, but also understand that developing your own formula offers a chance to put creativity to use and capitalise on flavour innovation, something today’s consumers value just as much.
From recipe design and lab testing to can packaging and labelling, your partner should handle each step of the process. Crucially, though, the rights to your custom formulations should remain yours. This allows you to own, control, and evolve your recipe as your brand grows.
That said, private label manufacturing is not without trade-offs. Businesses may have less direct control over production scheduling, minimum order quantities, and certain technical parameters compared to fully in-house operations. For some brands, especially those with highly specialised processes, this can be a limiting factor.
Where should you start with canned coffee?
In a market as fast-growing as RTD coffee, competition is inevitable. Brands both big and small are vying for market share, which means it’s essential to make your drinks stand out. Therefore, you should begin by identifying a unique selling point for your private label canned coffee and targeting that segment of the market.
Miles found success by focusing on a target market that preferred functional beverages and then tailored his private label canned coffee to their tastes. “Bare Brew chose the highest-caffeine canned coffee positioning: 320mg from two ingredients,” he says. “We removed everything that doesn’t serve that mission.”
Once the product is finalised and packaged, the next step is selecting the right distribution channels to reach your target customer. That means choosing distribution channels that actually make sense for your product. For Miles, that turned out to be gyms, supplement shops, and fitness-focused retailers.
Visibility matters just as much as access, which is why presence in the right retail locations is equally important. “We’re in our retail locations because we’re actively building relationships with retailers, educating them on the category, and showing them that customers want this product,” he explains.
The effectiveness with which you implement these steps will largely determine the success of your RTD product. If time and resources are instead spent running a production facility, working on formulations, and dealing with regulations, you’ll have less capacity to pursue the areas that matter for your growth and development.
Private label manufacturers free you up to focus on marketing, distribution, customer service, and other areas that will propel your business. Having a partner who can scale with you or help you innovate your formulations as consumer tastes evolve makes that growth a lot more achievable.
Businesses eager to tap into the private label canned coffee market can harness Hardtank’s custom formulation services, which take just three months from start to finish. This quick turnaround lets you launch custom beverages faster to capitalise on trends at their peak. Our private label offerings also include shop-to-go recipes, ranging from classic and nitro cold brew to milk-based coffee.
Private label canned coffee: Key takeaways
- Private label manufacturing allows you to launch canned coffee RTDs more quickly than producing them in-house.
- The upfront investment is also generally lower because you don’t need to invest in your own equipment, facilities, and specialised staff.
- As the demand for RTD coffee continues to grow, launching private label canned coffee is a budget-friendly and quick way to meet consumer demand.
Ready to find out how Hardtank’s private label services can support your next RTD product? Get in touch with the team and arrange a free consultation.
Private label canned coffee FAQ
What is private label canned coffee?
Private label canned coffee is a ready-to-drink coffee product manufactured by third-party companies but sold under another company’s name.
What are the benefits of offering private label canned coffee?
You can reduce upfront costs compared to in-house manufacturing, since you don’t need to invest in specialised equipment, expertise, or food safety regulation processes.
How long does it take to launch a private label canned coffee product?
Timelines vary by manufacturer, but with Hardtank you can launch a custom private label RTD six weeks after recipe approval.
Want to learn more about our private label canned coffee?
- Choose your flavours: Explore our shop-to-go recipes here.
- Discover the process: Read up on how our private label RTD services work.
- Speak to an expert: Contact the Hardtank team.
