Canned

CAN-Do Attitude

STORY BY STACIE GAETZ | PHOTOS BY SERGEI BELSKI

It is not often that a business expands during a global pandemic but that is exactly the case with BEVMAX canning facility in Airdrie.

BEVMAX, formerly Effervescent Tea Kombucha, was founded in December 2015 and rebranded in November 2020.

“Realizing that we needed more diversity to handle times like we are currently in, we have rebranded our company to BEVMAX and are now co-packing a wide variety of beverages, including cold brew coffee, ready-to-drink cocktails, kombucha, healthy energy drinks, teas and more,” says Nan Thiessen, president of BEVMAX.

Nan Thiessen

Growing from adversity

Thiessen adds her current role turned into a “Jill of all trades” when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the company to let most of their staff go.

“As we have waited for sales to pick up and for our new team members to be fully trained, I have spent the last year preparing for our annual audit/recertification of our third-party food safety program, making kombucha, running the canning line, hiring and training new people, and recently expanding and growing into our newly diversified co-packing business,” she says.

“We work through every challenge with a smile and a positive attitude. That is what creates the culture that helps us get it done professionally and efficiently.”

The 20,000-square-foot BEVMAX facility is located on East Lake Boulevard and provides canning, lab testing, recipe development, labelling and pasteurization of up to 40,000 cans a day.

“Co-packing is packaging other people’s beverages for them,” explains Thiessen.

“It is a win-win for us and our customer. We have spent the time and the money setting up the operation and investing in all of the necessary equipment. This way, we keep the canning line full and busy at all times.”

BEVMAX currently has six full-time and two parttime employees.

Some of the brands the company produces include Freshii, Federated Co-op and Well Juicery. These products are sold coast to coast in Canada as well as parts of the U.S. in Loblaws, Safeway/Sobeys and Whole Foods.

“At BEVMAX our goal is to create the highest-quality product, and have fun doing it,” she says.

“We work through every challenge with a smile and a positive attitude. That is what creates the culture that helps us get it done professionally and efficiently.”

Women in business

Prior to founding the kombucha-turned-canning business, Thiessen was a full-time stay-at-home mom of two whose interests include health and wellness.

“Our team has been exclusively women for the last five years and we take pride in the fact that we have successfully managed all aspects of the business, including maintenance and repairs,” says Thiessen.

When asked what advice she has for other women entrepreneurs, Thiessen says “don’t take no for an answer.”

“Success has never been achieved without failure to learn and grow from,” she says.

“Embrace the failures … they will help you win in the end!”

She adds her team has worked with co-packers in the past, and the experiences have been “less than perfect.”

“As such, we have a deep understanding of the pitfalls of traditional co-packing and how these bad actors negatively affect the business,” she says.

“If you are looking into having a beverage packed, reach out to us. We look forward to the opportunity to make great products with you.” life