Free Flow Wines Announces Plans for a New Facility with Expanded Operations and COO Hire
NAPA, Calif. (PRWEB) June 20, 2018 -- Free Flow Wines, the pioneers of premium wine on tap, announced plans to expand operations and relocate their headquarters to Sonoma, CA in January 2019. The new Sonoma facility, currently under construction at 14900 Carneros Lake Lane, will include a state-of-the-art kegging line, expanded canning services, temperature-controlled bulk wine storage and increased office space. To help support the expanded operations and company growth, Free Flow has appointed Rich Bouwer as Chief Operating Officer.
“Free Flow has been building the premium wine on tap category for nearly a decade. Our facility expansion will allow us to improve services and increase capacity, helping us achieve our goal of saving more than 100 million bottles from the landfill in the coming years,” states Jordan Kivelstadt, CEO & Co-Founder of Free Flow Wines.
Free Flow’s increased production capacity will accommodate filling up to 1.1 million kegs and 5 million cases of cans per year, and store up to 375,000 gallons of bulk wine. A new custom designed Comac kegging line will fill 150 kegs per hour, with pre-designed modules that can increase capacity to 300 kegs per hour. The expanded bulk wine storage program will allow Free Flow’s customers to have more fill-on-demand flexibility, improve bulk logistics and lower costs.
In conjunction with the move, Free Flow will be partnering with CanSource, the leader in can sleeving services in the US and Canada, to provide turnkey services at the new Sonoma facility. “Free Flow revolutionized the wine-on-tap category, and now together we will do the same with wine-in-a-can. Our strategic partnership will allow us to be a one-stop-shop for labeling, filling and packaging all under one roof, allowing our joint customers more flexibility while driving costs down,” said Pat Hartman, Co-Owner of CanSource.
To maintain Free Flow’s environmental stewardship initiatives, the company will continue to reclaim 95% of their wastewater, or approximately 11 million gallons per year, with a Cloacina Industrial Membrane Bioreactor. General Manager at Cloacina, Troy Ellison says “We are excited to install this revolutionary closed-loop water reclamation system at the new Free Flow facility, which will save 28-acre feet annually from the Sonoma County Aquifer, allowing for sustainable business growth and responsible water footprint management.”
Rich Bouwer began his new role as Free Flow’s Chief Operating Officer on June 11th, 2018 to support the company’s rapid growth. Bouwer has held previous roles at Saxco International, Treasury Wine Estates and Gallo, and brings more than 25 years of operational and leadership experience. “I am delighted to join the Free Flow team. They have been changing the way premium wine is delivered to restaurants and venues, and I look forward to being a part of the continued success with this first rate team,” says Bouwer. In addition, Free Flow expanded their Board of Directors to include Richard Gerstein and Lane Cardwell, bringing a wide range of experience from the logistics and restaurant industries.
About Free Flow Wines
As the pioneers of premium wine on tap, Free Flow Wine aims to deliver the freshest, best tasting, most sustainable glass of wine. Free Flow’s keg leasing, filling, logistics and canning services have allowed the wine and hospitality industries to move to a greener, fresher, better way to serve wine by the glass. Founded in 2009, Free Flow has more than 250 wine brands in keg, from wineries throughout North America, South America, New Zealand, Australia and Europe. Premium wines in Free Flow kegs and cans are available at restaurants, hotels, retail stores, sports and entertainment venues across the US. Free Flow Wines currently has locations in Napa, California and Bayonne, New Jersey. You can find them online at FreeFlowWines.com, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr @FreeFlowWines.
Heather Clauss, Free Flow Wines, http://www.freeflowwines.com, +1 415.626.1215, [email protected]
Share this article