Operations
Minimum Runs Explained: 2,000-Gallon Batches and When 300 Gallons Makes Sense
Every co-packer has a minimum run size, and the number makes a lot more sense once you see the work that happens before the first can fills. Here's why our lines are built around 2,000-gallon batches, what that batch turns into on a pallet, and when a 300-gallon run is the smarter call.
Why minimums exist: the fixed work behind every run
Every production run carries a block of work that stays the same whether you fill 3,000 cans or 30,000. That work happens once per run, and it gets spread across every unit that comes off the line.
- Setup and changeover. Loading your sleeve or label stock, cartons, date-code settings, and pallet pattern, then swapping it all back out when you're done.
- Cleaning. A full clean-in-place (CIP) cycle on tanks, transfer lines, and fillers before your liquid touches them, and again after.
- Line startup losses. The first stretch of any fill goes to dialing in fill heights, seams, carbonation, and dissolved oxygen. Some liquid and packaging gets used up getting there.
- QC sampling. Lab pulls through the run for the checks your product calls for: pH, ABV, carbonation, dissolved oxygen, pasteurization units, Brix, or THC potency.
- Batch records. Ingredient lots, test results, production timestamps, and date codes, all tied to your lot numbers.
None of those tasks shrink when the batch shrinks. On a small run they eat a big share of the day. On a full batch they fade into the unit count.
Why our lines are built around 2,000 gallons
Our blending room runs six 2,000-gallon tanks, two of them glycol-chilled. A full tank means one clean, one blend, one round of QC, and one lot record feeding one packaging run.
That size lines up with the packaging side too. A 2,000-gallon batch comes out to roughly 888 cases of 12oz cans, and our canning line turns out about 1,000 24-can cases per shift. One tank fills close to one full shift of canning.
Bigger programs stack batches. Six tanks' worth is 12,000 gallons, and at that scale the fixed work almost disappears into the count.
Batch size to finished units: the math
Gallons are hard to picture on a shelf. Here's what common batch sizes convert to, using 1 US gallon = 3,785.41 ml and a 12oz can = 354.88 ml.
| Batch size | 12oz cans | 24-can cases | 750ml bottles | 6-bottle cases | 50ml minis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 gal | ~3,200 | ~133 | ~1,514 | ~252 | ~22,712 |
| 2,000 gal | ~21,333 | ~888 | ~10,094 | ~1,682 | ~151,416 |
| 12,000 gal | ~128,000 | ~5,333 | ~60,566 | ~10,094 | ~908,498 |
All figures are nominal, calculated before fill loss and QC pulls. Your finished count will land a little lower, so build some cushion into any order you promise off these numbers.
When a 300-gallon run makes sense
We take smaller batches case by case, and 300 gallons is a common size for 50ml mini runs. A short run pays off in a few situations:
- Pilot and test-market runs. Your formula is locked and you want real packaged product in a handful of accounts before you commit a full tank. About 133 cases of cans is enough to get in front of buyers and watch what reorders.
- Minis for sampling. 300 gallons fills about 22,712 50ml bottles. That's a sampling program for tastings, trade shows, and distributor ride-alongs, and it runs a little over a day on our mini line at full speed.
- Limited releases. A seasonal or one-off flavor where you'd rather sell through than store.
The trade-off is simple math. The same fixed work from above lands on far fewer units, so a short run earns its spot when the market feedback or the sampling reach is worth it to you.
Packaging minimums are often the real constraint
For most first runs, the tighter limit sits with packaging suppliers. Shrink sleeves, printed cartons, custom labels, and capsules all come with their own print minimums, and those rarely line up neatly with a small batch.
If your sleeve printer's minimum covers far more cans than your batch fills, you'll either store the extra sleeves or pay up for a short print. Pre-printed cans typically carry even larger supplier minimums, which is a big reason in-line shrink sleeves suit smaller brands. Plan the batch and the packaging order as one decision.
Here's how the split works on our floor:
- We supply: cans, 202 lids, pallets, wrap, and unprinted trays for canning; bottles and standard materials for 750ml glass.
- You supply: shrink sleeves or labels, custom printed cartons or trays, and for glass, custom labels, tamper-proof capsules, and corks.
- Lid colors: options depend on can-end supplier availability and minimums. Ask us.
Budget 1 to 3 months for packaging components: drawings, physical samples, labels, caps, capsules, trays, boxes, and pallet configurations. Your run date follows your packaging, so order early. For the carton side of that decision, see PakTech vs. cartons.
Size your first run to your distribution commitments
Start from the sell side. Define your distributors and sign contracts before we schedule production, because product without a locked channel becomes inventory sitting on a pallet.
- List every committed distributor and account, with opening order quantities.
- Add sampling and marketing stock: minis, event product, samples for buyers.
- Add a reorder buffer to carry you until your next run.
- Convert that total to gallons with the table above, then round to a practical batch size.
- Check the unit count against your packaging minimums. If sleeves or cartons push the number up, decide now whether the extra stock has a home.
Size your first run to the orders you can name, then let packaging minimums tell you whether to round up.
Our run planner does the conversion for you. Pick 12oz can, 750ml glass, or 50ml mini, slide the batch size anywhere from 300 to 12,000 gallons, and it shows units, cases, production days, and how many of our tanks the run fills.
How we'd handle it at Tennessee Hills
We'd start with an onboarding visit to our 35,000 sq ft facility in Bristol. We'll walk the floor, define your portfolio (formulas, batch sizes, packaging profiles, and forecasts), and go through our à la carte pricing schedule and co-packer agreement together.
From there we'll recommend a full 2,000-gallon batch or a smaller run based on your channel commitments, and we'll quote it. Every batch gets ingredient-to-pallet lot tracking in our NetSuite manufacturing system and lab checks from our QC staff. We encourage you to be on site for your first run to approve the formula, packaging, test docs, and date coding.
Ready to size yours? Request a quote or book a tour. If you're still mapping out the launch, grab the free Co-Packing Blueprint or read how to launch an RTD cocktail brand.
Want to see it running? Book a tour of our Bristol plant, walk the line your product would run on, and talk specs over lunch off the Smokestillery smoker.
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