100th Craftmate C goes to Mountain Culture Beer Co. Australia 
Mountain Culture brews a wide range of different craft beer styles: from classic IPA and Pale Ale varieties to lagers right through to typical European beers such as Pilsner, Schwarzbier, or Märzen. What they all have in common is a clear focus on top product quality — And that’s exactly why the Craftmate is ideal for canning, as DJ McCready reports, “I’m a co-founder but I’m also a brewer, so my number one priority has always been the quality of our beers — At Mountain Culture, we pride ourselves on producing the best-quality beer in Australia. The Craftmate filler is known for packaging beer with super-low dissolved oxygen pickup, which is extremely handy given the hop-forward styles of beers Mountain Culture has become famous for.”
In addition to the Craftmate C, the scope of delivery also includes a Sensicol Linear labeller from Kosme to dress the blank cans in colorful labels.
But before the new machines can go into operation, they first had to embark on an approximately eight-week journey: In late June, delivery started from Neutraubling (or, in the case of the labeller, from Roverbella in Italy). Krones’ service team will then begin installation and commissioning in early September. The first cans ready for sale are scheduled to roll off the line in October.
| Project: | Wet end for a canning line |
| Customer: | Mountain Culture Beer Co. |
| Location: | Emu Plains, Australia |
| Commissioning: | Starting September 2022 |
| Scope: | Parts of a new line for 15,000 cans per hour |
- Craftmate C small can filler
- Checkmat F-X, inspector, checking the fill level by means of X-rays
- Kosme Sensicol Linear labeller
- SynCo conveyors between bulk can depalletiser and labeller
The recipe for success of the Craftmate C
The Craftmate C for Mountain Culture is something very special not only for the Australian craft brewery, but also for Krones because it is already the 100th can filler for the low output range that Krones has delivered since its market launch in late 2015. Product Manager Philipp Schön sums up the Craftmate’s popularity in one sentence: “When they order a Craftmate, our customers get a filler for the small output range at a fair price — and can at the same time rely on the proven technology and hygiene standards of Krones’ large can filler series.” A strategy that is paying off, as a glance at the sales figures proves: A good half of the machines have so far gone to North and Central America, but the Craftmate C is also very popular in Asia and Western Europe.
The Craftmate C is incredibly popular on the market, especially in craft brewing circles. Krones has recently dispatched the 100th machine of this can filler type.
However, the target group is by no means limited to craft breweries — although these account for more than two thirds of customers so far. The clients also include producers of wine/sparkling wine, water, spirits, and CSDs.
In the meantime, Krones has expanded its portfolio for the compact sector as well. Since 2017, there has also been a Craftmate G glass filler, which with its output of 24,000 containers per hour likewise appeals to smaller beverage producers and has been developed along the same design principle as the C model.
