What sets Vobev Apart from other Drink Manufacturers?
October 25, 2023
(SALT LAKE CITY, Utah) – For anyone who hasn’t heard about the latest drink manufacturer disrupting the beverage industry, Vobev is the company you want to hear about.
The 1.2 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility opened nearly three years ago in Salt Lake City and was designed to be the epicenter of beverage creation and drink innovation in the West.
Nestled in front of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah, Vobev is your one-stop shop to manufacture, fill and ship your drink. It has eliminated the need to go through multiple parties to manufacture and fill your drink.
“There is a single course for the complete beverage to market,” explained Mike Sowieja, Vice President of Strategic Business Development at Vobev. “No need for customers to manage can supply, end supply, shipping to various locations, product development, etc. All of that is done through a single point of contact.”
Vobev is the first beverage manufacturer in North America to offer can manufacturing, filling and shipping under one roof.
Utah was selected as the location for Vobev’s operations due to its quality people and the culture that prevails throughout the state. Vobev is strategically located next to a major airport, railways, and highways to maximize shipping efficiencies and to better serve its customers and partners.
Sowieja says the nice thing about offering all three services under one roof is it cuts time, it cuts costs, and it promotes sustainability.
“A rough estimate is that by eliminating the shipment of cans, the full capacity of this facility will take 10,000 trucks per year off the highways,” explained Sowieja.
That’s a pretty big sweep as far as sustainability efforts go, and it's allowing customers to make an impact environmentally.
“This is the only co-packing operation in North America, as well as the rest of the world, that has this range of capabilities under one roof,” Sowieja explains.
Sowieja adds that many of Vobev’s can making, can filling and beverage packing machinery has sustainability features built right into them.
“The variety pack line uses thermoformed trays that are reused,” Sowieja explains. “Other variety pack lines use corrugated trays that end up as trash, for the most part. The analogy is that Vobev has eliminated the one-time use tray.”
Andy Allen, operations manager on the can filling side at Vobev, says his team works tirelessly to ensure their can filling and packing operations are running smoothly and efficiently.
“There is an element of a positive identity that is formed in our plant and there are a lot of cool values we have that make us top notch. There is a level of excitement to see the growth and opportunities and for us to be where we are after this short amount of time shows that we have nothing but good things ahead of us in the future,” Allen says.
As far as addressing arguments that Vobev is a newer manufacturer and still has some growing pains to work through, Allen says he has no doubt Vobev will continue to grow, improve its processes, and ultimately become a main beverage hub and contact for drink companies on the West coast and beyond.
“I think the sky is the limit,” Allen says. “Everyday, we are getting better and better and improving our processes.”
Jeff Goodell on the can manufacturing side explains that members of Vobev’s executive leadership team have decades of experience working in the food and beverage industry. They understand what customers are looking for and they are always looking for ways to eliminate their clients’ pain points.
“It puts Vobev at a huge advantage over its competition,” Goodell says. “It translates to quicker adjustments and decisions. Couple this with Vobev’s Central Western location, as well as its qualified, hand-selected people, and you have a unique and winning combination.”
He said Vobev’s facilities can accommodate most types of drink products, including sparkling water, juices, spritzers and energy drinks.
“With multiple manufacturing lines and new state-of-the-art equipment, we can meet the simultaneous needs of multiple clients while producing a wide variety of sizes and finishing options,” Goodell explained.
Sowieja says Vobev offers many different can sizes, with can design assistance and advanced printing options that create eye-catching drink labels and branding.
“We produce beverage cans at four different diameters - commonly referred to as slim, sleek, standard, and king,” Sowieja said. “Within those diameters, Vobev produces 7.5, 8.4, 12, 16 and 24 ounce cans. Our decorators can deliver as many as 8 different colors for the artwork. In addition, the decorators use a technology that provides higher resolution and sharper imagery to the printed cans compared to other can manufacturers. Lastly, this is all at production rates that are competitive to the global can suppliers in the market.”
Overall, Vobev is already disrupting the beverage industry in many ways, offering more than your typical drink manufacturer, with its all-inclusive, streamlined approach.
“Everything about our innovative, under-one-roof business model is win-win: Reduced production times and costs, less environmental impact through drastically reduced material handling and trucking, fresher product, and longer shelf life,” Goodell said.