By Cotton Mayer
Ever wonder where craft breweries and wineries find the supplies they need for beer and wine production? Your local brewery or winery may rely on dozens of vendors to make your favorite libations. Wouldn’t it be more efficient if they received multiple resources from the same supplier?
It’s unrealistic to expect one place to carry everything from hops to hoses, but you might be surprised how much you can get from one well-equipped supplier. Airgas, an Air Liquide company, is widely recognized as a leading one-stop shop for industrial gases, personal protective equipment and welding supplies. But Airgas also distributes food-grade gases, dry ice, specialized hoses and stainless steel fittings that help breweries and wineries from harvest to bottling (see longer list below).
Single suppliers versus multiple suppliers is a hotly debated topic among supply chain experts (and those supply chain experts get feisty). The main concern is that smaller businesses might become too dependent on one multi-resource vendor, risking a virtual meltdown if the supply source fails or falls behind. A beverage company that lives and dies by its fresh, timely product literally can’t afford to wait on important supplies.
Airgas provides a logical solution to quell fears about those beers. With more than a thousand stores nationwide, Airgas provides personal local service and a well-stocked distribution network along with support from industry experts.
Breweries and wineries no longer need to follow up with multiple vendors. Now they can work with one supplier who knows their process and delivers expertise, supplies and personal service when it’s needed.
Airgas proves that consolidating vendors can be a reliable way to increase supply chain efficiency, especially when a vendor features local support and personal service.
There’s a reason Airgas has been named Supplier of the Year by prominent national beverage suppliers such as MillerCoors and Coca-Cola. So many resources from a one-stop supplier. That’s the Airgas way.
Airgas National Carbonation makes beverage carbonation supply and service refreshingly easy. The nation’s largest and most dependable supplier of food and beverage-grade carbon dioxide and nitrogen helps wineries and breweries better manage supply chain challenges with 24/7 customer service specialists and usage forecasting focused on reducing waste and over usage.
Plus, NPP business members receive top-tier pricing from Airgas.
If your business is not already an NPP member, join NPP for free today. No membership fees and no obligation to buy. Find out what 300,000 NPP members already know: NPP has negotiated top discounts and special pricing that can help you boost your bottom line.
Here are some other Airgas offerings a brewery or winery may find useful:
• Food-grade gases (high-pressure cylinders, liquid dewars, MicroBulk and bulk)
• Gas regulators, valves, manifolds, dispensing equipment
• Dry ice (rice, nuggets and blocks)
• Wine and wash down hoses, sanitary valves and ports, racking wands and part boards
• Maintenance gases/welding equipment and supplies
• Safety equipment and supplies
• Refrigerants
• Laboratory gases, equipment and supplies
- • Waste water treatment