Tröegs Independent Brewing has announced the completion of its year-long packaging line expansion project.

Last March, the Hershey, PA, brewery broke ground on a 15,000-square-foot addition to the northwest corner of its facility. The new space expands upon its existing packaging hall and houses a state-of-the-art canning line installed at the beginning of 2023.

Ten different Tröegs co-workers spent time across the country taking notes from the manufacturers of the can filler, box maker, and conveyor systems.

“Having our packaging and maintenance teams get first-hand knowledge has been vital to the installation and fine-tuning of each piece of equipment,” says Tröegs brewmaster and co-founding brother John Trogner.

The cutting-edge equipment creates a separation of the brewery’s bottling and canning lines, which originally had shared conveyors and a palletizer.

“Our new line increases the production speed, capacity, and quality of our canned beer,” says Tröegs co-founding brother Chris Trogner. “We’ll also have the flexibility to work in some new pack types.”

These pack types include can wraps for 12-ounce 6-packs and 16-ounce 4-packs. Additionally, the canning line is able to fill 19.2-ounce cans, which will allow Tröegs to reach new customers and occasions in venues and convenience stores.

The packaging hall expansion coincides with the commissioning of a variety-case packer at the brewery’s warehouse and logistics center in nearby Elizabethtown, PA. This new piece of equipment will allow Tröegs to build its recently-announced Canthology variety packs in-house.

“Ultimately, we’re positioning ourselves to be nimble,” says Chris. “The new canning line really just sets us up for success in the future.”