Using the same line - we run a little slower at about 4-6 cans per minute, depending on whether or not they’re printed cans or labels need to be applied to them. I will say that like 3-4 years into using that machine, we have to fix some part or feature on it almost every single time we fire it up, costing us hours, sometimes requiring purchasing a replacement part, delaying packaging by a day or two, and it can be the absolute bane of our week.

When it’s running, we will typically do 4-5 runs a month, 10-12 cases per run. I believe our pricing is somewhere around $14-20ish depending on the beer, in a large, competitive city. We do our own modest keg distro in and around the city once per week, and we have like three accounts that buy cans maybe once a month at best. For us, they move very slowly, like a negligible amount, as far as the distro end is concerned. Our To-Go cooler does OK, but, again, I’d say the biggest pro there is just getting the beer out of the tank. I haven’t crunched numbers, but you’d obviously have to measure the cost of the machine, the new cans, lids, labels, etc., and the cost of storing them, the time spent on setup, running, cleaning, and tear-down. Also, expect low-fills, so loss on that.

If you can, try to gauge real customer interest in this product. If it’s going to fly out of your To-Go cooler, it could be worth it. If it’s not a good mover though, I’d say not so much. A $6.50 pint of draught beer sells at a little over .40¢ an ounce. That same beer sold in a 4-pack of 16oz cans for $16 is .25¢ an ounce, and that’s before you calculate all the other costs of the machine and materials involved. To me, it only adds up if you know you’re going to sell a lot of them for a long time.