Oktober’s Model 8-H Can Seamer Gives Roast Specialty Coffee a SpinDaily Coffee News by Roast Magazine

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based canning equipment maker Oktober Design has released a variation of its Model 8 automatic seamer called the Model 8-H, designed specifically for canning fresh whole bean coffee. roasted.

Targeting small specialty coffee businesses whose production levels are often lower than what is often required for industrial canning, the Oktober Design Model 8-H is a compact, plug-and-play solution designed for front-end or back-end operations in cafes and roasters. .

The 8-H machine tool attaches a valved aluminum cover to 401 diameter steel cans fully automatically, with no manual intervention except at the touch of a button.

On Oktober’s website, the company currently offers unlabeled and labeled can options for coffee roasters, while also listing compatible solutions from other vendors such as Roastar and Container Supply.

While Roastar caused a stir with the launch of digitally printed cans for the coffee industry last year, California-based Container Supply first approached Oktober with the idea of ​​a seaming solution focused on the cafe about five years ago. Container Supply and Oktober showcased the device from a shared booth at the recent SCA Expo 2023 in Portland. (See more coffee tools and accessories unveiled at the show).

“(The can) stands out more than the bag because everyone’s in a bag and nobody’s in a can,” Container Supply sales representative Brit Stark told the Daily Coffee News in Portland. “We contacted Oktober because we’ve been making cans for 75 years, and until Oktober came along, there was no way for us to let a smaller roaster get into cans without a machine designed to make millions of cans at a time.”

The renaissance of coffee canning comes as quality-focused roasters look for new ways to differentiate products on shelves. The cans also offer a naturally classic look, reminiscent of the cans of the first major coffee suppliers after the industrial revolution.

Container supply sales and marketing manager Joe Rider told DCN that while cans, aluminum lids and one-way vent valves have all been available for decades, the combination of these items is usually out of reach for small roasters due to the costs associated with bulk production. .

Oktober Design launched its first small hand-held crimper in 2016, targeting home brewers, kombucha makers, cold brew coffee makers, cafes and bars looking to offer canned beverages on the go.

After establishing its coffee roaster sites alongside Container Supply, the company then worked with early adopters – including California-based Moon Goat Coffee, Minnesota-based Almanac Coffee and Arizona-based Provision Coffee – to settle the issues. the most delicate points.

“(These roasters) really helped us understand how it all fits together,” Rider said. “The goal always in mind was to provide an option for specialty coffee to use a can.”

The 8-H model with coffee can tooling is currently on sale starting at $3,600. Tool sets for sealing standard 12-16 ounce beverage cans, 32 ounce crowlers and other styles of cans are available for $370 per set.

“We’ve done a lot of testing on the longevity of the flavor profile and shown that it keeps (the coffee) fresh longer,” Oktober Can Seamers founder and CEO Dennis Grumm told DCN. “From the very beginning, we have been selling (crimpers) to cold brew establishments, but this is our first coffee show, and it has been a great success so far. It’s all new to us, but we’re pretty excited.

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