May 22nd – Custom winemaking facility Phase 2 Cellars and Mercenary Bottling Solutions, a leading mobile bottling and co-packing service, are thrilled to announce their strategic partnership. This collaboration brings together two industry leaders committed to quality, innovation, and efficiency focused on expanded access to premium bottling services on California’s Central Coast.
Beginning in June of 2024, Phase 2 Cellars, experts in custom winemaking, wine storage, amelioration, stabilization, and filtration, will become the static home for Mercenary Bottling Solutions and their recently acquired Gai Monoblock bottling line. Offering still and in-line carbonated bottling, flexibility for virtually all bottle sizes and types, compatibility with still and sparkling cork, screwcaps, and crown caps, in conjunction with Phase 2 Cellars’ abilities to intake, ameliorate, stabilize, filter and manage logistics and quality control of bottlings at all scales, the partnership represents an impactful increase in bottling capabilities and cost-efficiencies on California’s Central Coast with up to 2,800 cases (9L) per day of premium-quality throughput.
Bottling Line Specifics:
Capabilities:
- Bottling still and sparkling beverages at pressures up to 5.0 Atmospheres
- In-line carbonation
- Multiple closure options, including Stelvin-P (pressure), Stelvin-P (pasteurization), conventional screw caps, ROPP screw caps, pry off and twist off crown caps, technical and conventional cork, and Champagne cork with wire Muselet
Bottling Throughputs:
- Still Wine with Corks:
- Maximum output: 4,200 bottles per hour or 350 cases per hour @ 2,800 cases in 8 hours continual run time
- Still Wine with Screw Caps:
- Maximum output: 4,000 bottles per hour or 333 cases per hour @ 2,666 cases in 8 hours continual run time
- Sparkling Wine with Corks, Screw Caps, or Crown Caps:
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- Maximum output: 2,000 cases per continual run time day
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Equipment:
- Gai 4033 REHP electro-pneumatic, counter pressure Monoblock with automatic closure infeed hoppers for crown cap, screw cap, and cork applicators
- 16-spout rinser/sparger and a 20-spout filler
- Gai 6080-2L pressure sensitive labeler with automatic capsule dispenser and applicator, featuring 2 label stations
- Ozone machine
- Reimers Electra Steam Generator-Boiler
- Hydrovane air compressor
- 3M automatic case tape sealer
- Laser bottle etching and coding option
About Phase 2 Cellars
Phase 2 Cellars is an 80,000 square foot, full service, vineyard to bottle facility capable of premium winemaking at scale, custom bottling, and a myriad of private label services. Phase 2 Cellars boasts 13,000 tons of current annual capacity. Permitted to 16,000 tons, we offer the opportunity for growth on the largest of scales. We are opportunistic, entrepreneurial, and committed to being the premier custom winemaking facility on California’s Central Coast. We offer the opportunity for AP relationships as well as strong administrative assistance for all your needs, from reporting to COLA submissions. Our in-house laboratory is efficient, accurate, and capable of all analysis from vineyard samples to bottling quality assurance. Home to numerous iconic brands and clients, Phase 2 Cellars has sustained long-term success by fostering mutually beneficial long-term relationships with known wine business leaders.
About Mercenary Bottling Solutions
An industry leader in the beverage canning space, Mercenary Bottling Solutions is the bottling arm of Jason Fullmer’s renowned mobile canning and co-packing operation focused on premium packaging services. Specializing exclusively in counterpressure filling systems sets Mercenary apart from standard atmospheric fillers more commonly found in mobile canning and bottling operations. Our innovative bottling line boasts an extensive range of bottle sizes and closure options unparalleled by any other facility on the Central Coast. Backed by a collective 40 years of experience in packaging and production, the Mercenary team has an unwavering commitment to delivering top tier bottling and filling services.
Quotes:
- Josh Baker, CEO of Phase 2 Cellars: “Mercenary’s new line offers custom bottling abilities, speed, and quality never before experienced on the Central Coast. Phase 2 Cellars is proud to be the winery conduit to those interested in utilizing the area’s most capable, efficient, and quality conscious bottling line. The partnership truly continues our mission to offer vineyard to bottle solutions of the highest quality at scale, in a continued effort towards being California’s premier custom winemaking facility.”
- Fin du Fresne, General Manager of Phase 2 Cellars: “This partnership with Mercenary combines our capacity for pre-bottling preparation with bottling technology and speeds currently unavailable on the Central Coast. The opportunity to run large bottling lots 35% faster than other mobile lines will save wineries time and money.”
- Jason Fullmer, Founder of Mercenary Bottling: “Partnering with Phase 2 Cellars to launch our new bottling arm was a no brainer for us. Their commitment to crafting high-quality, precision-made wines perfectly complements our dedication to offering the best packaging solutions on the Central Coast. We are extremely excited to see what our clients can dream up with such robust filling and closure options not usually offered in one location.”
