SAN JOSE (KPIX) — The ongoing aluminum can shortage is changing the way some craft breweries are conducting business.
At S27 Ales in San Jose, co-founder Lucas Szymanowski says that getting aluminum cans has become one of the more complex challenges in running his operation.
“Cans have been the biggest problem for us,” he said.
He’s not alone. Breweries across the country are dealing with an aluminum can shortage created largely by pandemic-related manufacturing slowdowns and increased demand pressing the aluminum supply chain.
“The demand for cans, I think, skyrocketed to a point where it outstripped the supply,” Szymanowski said.
Syzmanowski says that, prior to the shortage, his team was able to order pallets of cans whenever they needed them, sometimes just a few days in advance. Now, they have to wait for their supplier to alert them when cans are available and they have to pay more per pallet as well.
“When it comes to aluminum cans, everybody expects to get paid right up front. When we order aluminum cans, that’s $5,000, $7,000, $10,000 that has to be spent because the cans are available in that moment. Any time cans are available, we’re putting out huge amounts of money to have those cans in the building waiting,” he explained.
The San Jose craft brewer community is tight-knit, Szymanowski says, and they’ve worked together to weather the challenges of the can shortage.
“In the community it became very common for everybody to message everybody else ‘hey, I have a need, I need a half pallet, one pallet of cans. Do you have an incoming? Can I borrow those?'” he said. “So, it is close-knit. People do share resources and ingredients as necessary.”
Syzmanowski doesn’t foresee the can supply challenge ending any time soon.
“Realistically thinking, this will probably be an issue for another year, two years,” he said.
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