Staying local

Today, CanTech had the privilege of being shown around Storefast Solutions’ beverage production facility, which just so happens to be down the road from Bell Publishing’s offices, in Northfleet.

Managing director, Nick Kirby, was our tour guide and interviewee, explaining how Storefast’s new canning line has increased the company’s previous capacity by five times and is capable of filling 15,000 cans per hour. The line was installed in summer 2024 and uses equipment supplied by Italy-headquarted Enterprise Tondelli.

Storefast started out in the 1980s with Nick’s parents, John and Sharon, specialising as a warehousing business for juice. These many years of experience have given Storefast an advantage in its operations in the present day, Nick told us. “We’re set up in the way that a lot of other canning companies aren’t, in terms of being able to handle pulpy products, knowing how to look after the juices and can them. We offer homogenisation services that allow us to access the more premium end of the ready-to-drink (RTD) market.”

The company has seen a huge increase in demand for RTD cocktails, which was one of the main drivers behind the new line, alongside the fact that beverage brands and consumers are realising the value of drinks in infinitely recyclable packaging.

Seeing the facility first-hand, coupled with Nick’s enthusiasm for his thriving family business, gave us a great boost on a grey, drab English morning, and of course we had a lot more to talk about than what I’ve covered here. Our interview with Nick will be available to read in the upcoming April edition of the magazine.

Thank you to the Storefast team for accommodating myself and Sarah Hills!

• Alex Rivers (she/her), CanTech International editor
  Keep in touch via email: [email protected] Twitter: @CanTechIntl or LinkedIn: CanTech International magazine