South Carolina’s Peak Drift Brewing Company is innovating with a digital printer that eliminates the need for non-recyclable beer can labels. This digital printing program — nicknamed the “Peak Press” — is a step toward more sustainable production for the industry.
The company’s new $4 million digital device prints graphics directly onto cans and can achieve printing speeds of up to 350 cans per minute. This efficiency eliminates the need for non-recyclable labels and shrink wraps, which the company says are commonly used in small production runs. The printer makes the can and its label 100% recyclable. Peak Drift, founded in 2021, is only the second company in the United States to own this type of printer.
“Our new printing initiative aligns with our core values of environmental stewardship and customer-centric innovation,” Sara Middleton Styles, Peak Drift co-owner, said in a press release. “We are excited to offer our customers, along with others in the industry, a more sustainable option for craft beverages.”
Photo Courtesy Peak Drift Brewing Company
The Peak Press is a remarkable Hinterkopf printer imported from Germany. It weighs more than 17 tons, meaning the brewery had to reinforce the floor on which it sits.
According to Cola Today, the digital printing program harnesses the device’s power to create labels for Peak Drift’s brews and numerous area breweries, including Columbia Craft, Steel Hands, and Hazelwood.
All of Peak Drift’s beverages, including seltzers, will have labels printed with the new technology. Commemorative cans for local events like the Rosewood Crawfish Festival, The Therapy Place’s recent Miracles in Motion 5K, and Green’s signature Jackpot Sour fruited ale will also make good use of the environmentally friendly printer.
“The best part of this program is that we aren’t limiting this technology just to Peak Drift,” Jason Snyder, Peak Drift’s vice president of sales and operations, said in the press release. “Our commitment to sustainable printing goes beyond our own practices.”
“By embracing advanced digital technologies and opening our printing capabilities to others, our hope is to reduce the beverage industry’s environmental footprint while also encouraging creative and commemorative can design,” he continued.
Photo Courtesy Peak Drift Brewing Company
Peak Drift’s digital printer increases revenue for the brewery with the increasing demand for sustainable printing. Essentially, it creates a new revenue line as more area businesses strive to meet customers’ calls for sustainability. It is making waves in the brewing industry, most of which are eagerly looking for ways to make beer production more sustainable.
Photo Courtesy Peak Drift Brewing Company
It’s clear that adding sustainable printing to Peak Drift’s story has not only had a huge positive financial impact on the brewery but has also increased the public’s awareness of the company. Known for its “high-quality craft beers, hard seltzers, and non-alcoholic beverages inspired by the landscapes of the Southeast region,” the brand is available in restaurants, bars, and stores across the Midlands of the Palmetto State.
