Can Your Cold Brew: A Café Owner’s Guide to Canning Coffee

Cold brew coffee has moved far beyond a menu add-on. For many cafés, it’s one of the highest-margin products they sell. Canning your cold brew allows you to extend shelf life, create new revenue streams, and sell your product far beyond the counter — all without opening a second location.

We’ll walk through everything a café owner needs to know about cold brew canning, from recipe considerations and workflow to equipment selection and quality control. Along the way, we’ll show how Eazy Canning’s iKAN can seamer fits perfectly into a small-scale, café-friendly canning setup.

Why Cafés Are Canning Cold Brew

Cold brew is uniquely suited for canning because it is:

• Naturally low in acidity
  
• Stable when handled correctly
  
• Popular as a ready-to-drink (RTD) product
  
• Easy to brand and package

By canning cold brew, cafés can:

• Sell take-away and retail products
  
• Supply local stores, gyms, and offices
  
• Reduce waste from unsold fresh batches
  
• Smooth out demand fluctuations

For many cafés, canned cold brew quickly becomes a second business line alongside in-store service.

What Makes Cold Brew Different from Other Beverages?

Before you start canning, it’s important to understand how cold brew behaves in a can. Small variations in filling technique or seam quality can have a noticeable impact on taste over time.

Understanding these characteristics helps you choose the right equipment and process so your canned cold brew tastes as fresh and consistent as it does when served in your café.

Key Characteristics

• Low carbonation (usually still)
  
• Sensitive to oxygen exposure
  
• Flavor degradation over time if improperly sealed
  
• Requires precise fill and seam integrity

This makes reliable seaming especially important — a poor seam allows oxygen ingress, which leads to flat, stale coffee and shortened shelf life.

That’s why the can seamer you choose is just as important as your coffee recipe.

Equipment You Need to Can Cold Brew (Small Café Setup)

You don’t need a large automated line to get started. A compact, well-planned setup is enough for most cafés to produce high-quality canned products consistently. By focusing on the essentials—reliable filling, proper seaming, and a clean, organized workflow—you can achieve professional results without the cost, space requirements, or complexity of full automation.

This approach also gives you flexibility, allowing you to refine your process and scale up later as demand grows.

Core Equipment

1. Cold Brew Production System
   
   • Your existing steeping and filtration setup
     
2. Filling Solution
   
   • Manual or semi-automatic filling (depending on volume)
     
3. Can Seamer — iKAN by Eazy Canning
   
   • The most critical step in protecting coffee quality
     
4. Basic Quality Control Tools
   
   • Scale for fill checks
     
   • Visual seam inspection
     
   • Storage space for finished cans

This setup fits comfortably in a back-of-house café environment.

Why Seam Quality Matters for Cold Brew

Cold brew is especially vulnerable to oxidation. Even small seam defects can:

• Reduce shelf life
  
• Alter flavor within days
  
• Cause leaks during transport
  
• Damage your brand reputation

A reliable can seamer ensures:

• Airtight seals
  
• Consistent seam formation
  
• Protection against oxygen ingress

Why Cafés Choose the iKAN Can Seamer

The iKAN can seamer by Eazy Canning is designed specifically for small producers like cafés:

• Professional-grade seam quality
  
• Compact footprint — ideal for limited space
  
• Easy to operate with minimal training
  
• Supports common can sizes used for cold brew
  
• Suitable for beverages and liquid food products

For cafés entering retail sales for the first time, iKAN provides industrial-level sealing without industrial complexity.

Choosing the Right Can for Cold Brew

Most cafés opt for:

• Slim cans (250–330 ml) for grab-and-go
  
• Standard cans (330–440 ml) for retail shelves

When choosing cans:

• Use food-grade, beverage-approved aluminum
  
• Match lids to the seamer’s supported formats
  
• Keep can sizes consistent to simplify operations

The iKAN is designed to handle commonly used can formats, making it a safe choice as your product range grows.

Cold Brew Canning Workflow (Step by Step)

Here’s what a typical café cold brew canning process looks like:

1. Brew & Filter

• Brew cold brew as usual
  
• Filter thoroughly to remove fines
  
• Chill the product before filling
  

2. Prepare the Workspace

• Sanitize all contact surfaces
  
• Organize empty cans and lids
  
• Set up filler and seamer stations
  

3. Fill the Cans

• Fill consistently to target volume
  
• Minimize splashing to reduce oxygen pickup
  
• Leave appropriate headspace
  

4. Seam with iKAN

• Place lid correctly
  
• Seam each can using consistent operation
  
• Visually inspect seams regularly

5. Label & Store

• Apply labels
  
• Store in cool, dark conditions
  
• Track batch dates for quality control

This workflow can be handled by one or two staff members, depending on volume.

Shelf Life & Storage Considerations

Shelf life depends on:

• Brewing method
  
• Oxygen control
  
• Seam integrity
  
• Storage temperature

While cafés should always follow local food safety guidance, proper seaming with a machine like iKAN significantly improves product stability compared to improvised or low-quality sealing methods.

Branding & Selling Your Canned Cold Brew

Canned cold brew opens new sales channels:

• Take-away fridges
  
• Local retailers
  
• Online orders
  
• Corporate or event catering

Tips for success:

• Use clear, minimal label design
  
• Highlight roast origin or flavor notes
  
• Clearly mark best-before dates
  
• Keep pricing aligned with premium positioning

Professional packaging instantly elevates perceived value — and consistent seams protect that reputation.

Is Canning Cold Brew Worth It for Cafés?

For many cafés, yes — especially if:

• You already sell a lot of cold brew
  
• You want retail or wholesale reach
  
• You have limited space and staff
  
• You want predictable, repeatable production

With compact equipment like the iKAN can seamer, canning becomes a manageable extension of your existing operations rather than a disruptive overhaul.

Final Thoughts

Canning cold brew is no longer just for large beverage brands. With the right setup, cafés can produce high-quality, shelf-ready cold brew that travels well, looks professional, and protects the flavor customers love.

A strong seam is the foundation of that success — and that’s where Eazy Canning’s iKAN can seamer plays a central role. Designed for small producers, it delivers the reliability and quality cafés need without unnecessary complexity.