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“There’s way more to Cardinal than just contracted filling.
Being able to begin with a partner like Cardinal vastly improves your chances of success because they literally provide you with that leg up, getting your product ready.”
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"I have full confidence that should some random issue pop up
in production or distribution, whatever it may be, that Cardinal is going to have a plan of action. We feel like we're in good hands.”
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"The management team is very willing to listen to feedback
and without question wants you to succeed. There's the Midwest approach to business which is: long-term relationship wins over short-term gain.”
What Clients Say about Cardinal Copacking
Amplifier Spirits
Launching a new spirits brand is no small feat — especially in competitive categories like vodka and gin. Amplifier Spirits is a Midwestern brand that is piercing through, and positioned for extreme growth. From flavor development with our award-winning distilling team to sourcing top-notch ingredients to filling a striking custom-designed bottle, this project has all the pieces of a true startup success story.
Here, Jason Brandes of Amplifier Spirits shares what it’s been like partnering with Cardinal Copacking, and how we collaborated to turn an exciting idea into a shelf-ready success story.
Cardinal Copacking: What would you tell someone who is copacking with Cardinal for the first time?
Jason Brandes: There's way more to Cardinal than just contracted filling. When you're looking at the daunting failure rate that's out there for most startups, being able to begin with a partner like Cardinal Spirits vastly improves your chances of success because they literally provide you with that leg up, getting your product ready. Then it's just up to you to manage your sales and marketing.
CC: What were you looking for in a co-packer?
JB: You need to find someone who is an extension of you that provides that other part of the value chain, who you can trust. And you want them to be proud of the fact that they work on your product.
When Jeff and I first started talking about the whole thing, I told him: I want him to make money. We all have to feed our families and I want him to grow and be successful and I want to be adding to that. It's a mutually beneficial situation that we need to be in, and that's how we started our relationship. Jeff and the whole Cardinal team makes me as a client feel like I'm part of their portfolio. Not just as a customer, but that they have invested in the success of Amplifier.
CC: You probably researched other co-packers in your early stages. What made you choose Cardinal Copacking?
JB: Jeff and Cardinal came across so professional, accommodating, and relatable with our own working styles and business outlook that we felt like this was a no-brainer that we were going to work with them. It was absolutely the right decision. Jeff and the Cardinal staff have made us feel very much part of the Cardinal team, which is a huge deal.
CC: Your bottle is so special and striking. You had a vision and a dedication to this bottle, and other producers might find themselves similarly dedicated to a highly custom bottle. How did that go?
JB: Cardinal was able to give us cost-effective and high quality service with a ton of support, which allowed us to be able to keep our bottle.
What I am impressed with is that Cardinal is able to produce a lot with their facility and their staff. And it's something that is standard and consistent, even with a bottle like ours — which, if it goes on a line, that's going to have to be on a line with a lot of tooling involved to allow it to not tip over or be able to be filled properly because it is a taller bottle. It's angular. And if it goes on an automated line, it'll fall over.
Cardinal is perfect for a company that is looking for a package that is a little bit different and they're worried about how to run a product on the line. Cardinal is well suited to do it efficiently and effectively.
CC: Tell us about some wins for Amplifier so far.
JB: We've won medals for both products. For the gin we won gold at San Francisco, gold in Las Vegas, and silver in New York. It’s been very well received.
CC: What were some enjoyable parts of the Cardinal co-packing process?
JB: We attended our first filling, and that was very fun — just a feeling of all this work coming together. It was just a very satisfying moment and then we had a toast. It was such a good feeling.
Good Time Beverage
Good Time Beverage is proof that a great idea from your home bar can grow into something much bigger. When the founders came to Cardinal Copacking, we helped take their delicious cocktail recipes for a Bourbon Smash and a Mojito from small-batch to full-scale production — by fine-tuning the flavor, sourcing the raw materials, and even introducing them to the right packaging suppliers.
Here, Jeff Jourdan from Good Time Beverage shares how his signature party cocktails became tasty bottled drinks that are ready to share and enjoy.
Cardinal Copacking: Are there times that our team met or exceeded expectations?
Jeff Jourdan: Here's a specific example: recipe formulation. Everything starts with that essentially. And I didn't understand it at first. Broadly, I got it, but I was like: Why can't I start to design the label, and look at the bottles and the closures and boxes that we need? Why can't I do that now? Jeff (Wuslich of Cardinal Copacking) helped me understand in a lot of ways that the recipe is what often dictates everything.
For example, the recipe will influence the container, and so it's sort of like a ripple effect. You can't get the label approved until you've got the recipe approved, and so on and so forth.
He really helped me understand “why” behind it, as opposed to just saying: Here's the thing you do, and then here's the next thing you do. That was super helpful to me, as a new brand owner, and someone new to the industry.
You think you're moving forward on this one part of the project but really, that's not what needs your attention right now. There's a million things before we get there.
CC: There were probably other co-packers on your radar in your early stages. How did you end up choosing Cardinal Copacking?
JJ: There absolutely were. I mean, I say this with a little bit of a giggle, but it helped that his name was Jeff, and my name is Jeff.
CC: What would you tell other people that are starting the copacking process for a cocktail or for a spirit?
JJ: I would absolutely encourage patience. But that comes with an asterisk. We care about the quality — that's one of the reasons we got to version R or S of the alphabet with our Bourbon Smash, and we got to version M or N with our mojito with Justin (Hughey, master distiller at Cardinal).
Patience is something that I would encourage to people who are a new brand starting up, but again the asterisk with that is only if quality is the thing you care about.
CC: What were some satisfying parts of the co-packing process?
JJ: We brought our whole family to our first production run and got some pictures and it was a cool moment.
We didn't know what to expect. There was excitement, kind of like, hey, we're going to a birthday party for us but we don't know who's going to be there and we don't know what's going to happen.
CC: What was that first bottling day like?
JJ: The team bought donuts for our kids, knowing they were going to be there. It was a warm welcome, which is a beautiful thing.
We were so grateful that the team was like: “Bring them, we'll make it work! We'll capture this moment so everyone can have a cool experience.” As we left, we asked our kids — they're ages 13 to 6, and there's four of them — what you guys think? And all of them were kind of like: it wasn't as big as I thought. They expected the big line of bottles going down and moving into the machine and coming out.
The team was there, they're setting up the machinery, the bottles and getting it all ready to go. And from everyone there, just warm smiles, and a big warm, welcome.
We didn't walk into a sort of a situation where we felt like we were intruders on the business process.
CC: When there are snags in the process, how do you expect Cardinal Copacking to handle them?
JJ: I have full confidence that should some random issue pop up in production or distribution, whatever it may be, that Cardinal is going to have a plan of action. We feel like we're in good hands.
The Beautiful
and The Damned
The passion for top-notch whiskey — and the dedication to bring it to market — is so clear here. This award-winning company is growing fast by sourcing incredible whiskey and elevating it with custom blends and finishes with Cardinal Copacking.
Here, Kevin from The Beautiful and The Damned shares what it’s like to build a whiskey brand, and why having the right co-packing partner absolutely matters.
Cardinal Copacking: In your own words, what is The Beautiful and The Damned?
Kevin: In short, it is an award-winning whiskey company that I founded based on my passion for curating the finest whiskey and whiskey label art. Passion became a reality through a great deal of hard work and surrounding myself with the right people. Let me be very clear, this is not an easy business, you need to work with the right people in order to bring your vision to market.
CC: What was the goal for you, when you started working with Cardinal? What did the project look like in the beginning?
K: The goal for me was to find a trusted partner to bottle, label and box my spirits and also offer storage capabilities as well. I have extremely high standards, so I knew it had to be the right partner. If I didn't find the right partner, I was going to fund a facility myself. Lucky for me, you guys are great on the operations side and Jeff and others are very open with their existing knowledge more broadly. Having that knowledge is extraordinarily important and serves as a great jump off point for a new brand owner. I also wanted someone that was fair with pricing and was flexible. In truth, I talked to 4 other co-packers prior to choosing Cardinal.
CC: You probably researched other co-packers in your early stages. What made you choose Cardinal?
K: Its excellent reputation and ability to approach the business outside of the standard processes. I have certain standards, and you are able to meet them. Prior to going into business, I called around and asked others. Everyone I talked to had nothing but good things to say about Cardinal Copacking. Jeff was mentioned a few times individually. I'd add, when you're at Cardinal Copacking you're in good company. You walk around and you see other successful brands — and I know that you're not allowed to talk about individual brand names — but you see the brands that they work for and it gives you a level of comfort.
I think the other thing that Cardinal is great for is they have a lot of the industry connections that many others don't. They know box companies, they know label companies, they have lists of these companies that both they and other companies that they've co-packed for worked with, which is extremely helpful as well. It saves time.
CC: Are there times that our team exceeded your expectations? What comes to mind?
K: There is a management team at Cardinal that is very willing to listen to feedback and without question wants you to succeed. It's an important point. Cardinal Copacking is not in the business of grabbing every last available dime of revenue from you. They’re in the business of coming to an important middle ground where the co-packing approach works for everyone. There's the Midwest approach to business which is: long-term relationship wins over short-term gain. They definitely embody that.
CC: What if anything was tricky about your project?
K: I love to understand the entire process. I love to be a part of the entire process. If you're obsessed with control and process, there's certain parts that aren't easy. I show up for bottling runs, I ask for a slow proofing and barrel marrying process. I also finish whiskey in French Oak, among others. There is a lot that can go wrong, but they haven't let me down yet! I think that trusting in the staff is extremely important and I am there with them.
CC: What would you tell other people who are starting the co-packing process for the first time?
K: If you are just starting a spirits brand, why would you ever consider going at it alone? Partner with those that do it every day, and it will save you countless amounts of time and energy as well as money. Sure, you could build your own facility, but why go deep into debt before you can put your toe in the water and test out the market to see if your product is going to have legs? You also need to see if you're going to continue to have passion for it, because this business is hard. You should see if you have the resolve to continue in this business to build a brand prior to going into debt to fund facilities. As well, and I am a numbers guy, I am not sure you would even save money by funding your own facility until case sales hit something above 10,000/year. The co-packing business is an essential part in the overall growth cycle of a liquor company.