Who this page is for
You're launching or scaling an energy drink, a sports energy beverage, a clean-label functional energy SKU, or a nootropic-forward "focus" drink. You need a co-packer that can:
- Source caffeine, taurine, B-vitamins, and the rest of the energy stack at retail-scale volumes.
- Develop or refine your formulation if you don't have one locked.
- Run inline carbonation + N₂ dosing for the spritz energy expects.
- Hand you a COA on every batch (so retail QA isn't a six-week back-and-forth).
- Move 180,000 cans on a first run and millions per quarter when you scale.
That's this page.
Energy categories we run
The line is built for any energy or functional drink that lives in a 12 oz or 16 oz can:
- Mainstream energy drinks. The Red Bull / Monster / Bang archetype. Caffeine 150–300 mg per can, taurine, B-vitamins, citric acid, sometimes guarana or ginseng. Carbonated, slightly sweet, on the bright-flavor end.
- Sports energy. Lower caffeine, electrolytes added, post-workout positioning. Citrus-forward, sometimes BCAA-fortified.
- Clean-label / "natural" energy. Caffeine from green tea or yerba mate, sweetened with stevia or monk fruit, no synthetic dyes. The category that ate Bang's lunch.
- Nootropic / focus drinks. Caffeine + L-theanine + lion's mane / cordyceps / B-vitamin stack. Lower carbonation, often non-carbonated still format.
- Performance hydration with caffeine. Electrolyte powders' canned cousin — sodium, potassium, magnesium, plus a caffeine kick.
- Gaming / e-sports energy. Higher caffeine + L-theanine for sustained focus. The newer wave of premium positioning.
- Pre-workout in a can. Caffeine + beta-alanine + creatine + nitric oxide precursors. Higher functional load, ready-to-drink instead of mixed-from-powder.
If your formula needs caffeine, vitamins, amino acids, herbal extracts, or any combination — we can run it. If your formula needs a refrigerated cold-chain (HPP juice, fresh cold-pressed), it's not us.
Why the 12 oz Sleek owns premium energy
Pick up any premium energy can released in the last decade — Celsius, Alani Nu, ZOA, Gorgie, Bloom — they're almost all in the 355 ml Sleek (12 oz) format. Why?
- It feels premium. Tall and narrow vs. the squat 12 oz Standard. The same liquid in a Sleek can sells for 30–50% more than the same liquid in a Standard.
- It fits the cooler door slot retailers built for water. The Sleek is the same diameter as a 500 ml water bottle — retailers can re-merchandise without rebuilding shelves.
- It pairs with multipack economics that actually work. 12-pack and 24-pack of Sleeks are the case sizes Costco, Sam's, and the club channels demand.
We run all six can sizes, but the 12 oz Sleek is the energy can. Our line was sized around it.
The six can sizes
| Size | Format | Energy use case |
|---|---|---|
| 237 ml | Sleek · 8 oz | Premium small-serve, kids energy (lower caffeine), single-serve mixers |
| 355 ml | Standard · 12 oz | Mainstream energy, value-pack |
| 355 ml | Sleek · 12 oz | Premium energy, clean-label, performance positioning |
| 473 ml | 16 oz | "Big can" energy — gas station / convenience driver |
| 591 ml | 20 oz | Value-pack, deep-discount energy |
| 710 ml | 24 oz · Dec 2026 | Multi-serve / sharing format |
Decoration options: pre-printed cans (the standard for energy — clean print, holographic ink, varnish), shrink sleeves (good for limited editions and small SKUs), or adhesive labels (cheapest, used for first-run testing).
Capacity for energy drink runs
- Krones canning line, today: 17,000 cans/hour. A single shift produces about 130,000 cans. A 180,000-can run is one production run.
- KHS canning line, December 2026: + 40,000 cans/hour. Combined throughput 57,000 cph. Multi-million-can quarterly volumes become routine.
- Inline carbonation and N₂ dosing — every energy SKU that's lightly carbonated runs through the same precision dosing the big brands use.
- Annual capacity: 80M cans/year today, scaling to 320M cans/year by 2027.
A first-run launch (180,000 cans) is a single production run for us. A scaled energy brand on a quarterly cadence at 5–10 million cans per quarter is well inside our schedule.
MOQ and lead time
Minimum order: 180,000 cans per SKU. That's roughly one production run on the Krones line — about one truckload of finished pallets ready to ship.
Standard lead time: ~6 weeks from approved spec and materials to first pallets in your warehouse. After the first run, repeat production drops to 3–4 weeks once formula and materials are in standing supply.
Material sourcing — what we can source for energy SKUs
Energy drink ingredients aren't shelf items at the local distributor. They're a small set of specialty suppliers, and a co-packer that can navigate them saves you months of vendor-qualification work.
What we can source:
- Caffeine — pharmaceutical-grade anhydrous (most common), green-coffee extract, or guarana / yerba mate as natural-claim alternatives.
- Taurine — synthetic or fermentation-derived, both kosher- and halal-options available.
- B-vitamins — B3 (niacinamide), B5, B6, B12, the standard energy stack.
- Adaptogens and nootropics — lion's mane, cordyceps, rhodiola, ashwagandha extracts. Specialty supply, longer lead times.
- L-theanine — for the focus / nootropic positioning.
- Sweeteners — sugar, sucralose, ace-K, stevia (RebM, RebD), monk fruit. Tested formulations available for any of these.
- Citric acid, malic acid, phosphoric acid — pH and tartness control.
- Natural and artificial flavors — partnerships with Mexican and US flavor houses; we'll work with your IP if you bring it in.
- Electrolyte salts — sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium citrate, calcium chloride.
All sourced under our SQF Ed.9 supplier-qualification program — full documentation, allergen control, and traceability per ingredient.
Quality and regulatory
SQF Edition 9 certified
Cert 25-7302, audited annually by Mérieux NutriSciences. Scope covers Cat. 16 — Beverage Processing, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. The cert is what retailers and importers ask for before they'll add a SKU.
Anton Paar QC
In-line, every can: density (sweetness / Brix proxy), CO₂ (carbonation control), O₂ (shelf-stability indicator). Continuous data through every batch.
On-site Anton Paar lab, every batch: microbiology (yeast / lactobacillus screen — important for energy drinks because caffeine doesn't kill microbes), Brix verification, CO₂ confirmation, double-seam check on the can closure. Caffeine content verification by HPLC available on request for batches where that matters for label compliance.
Regulatory paperwork
COFEPRIS for Mexican retail, FDA for US retail, EU for European exports. Energy drinks have specific labeling and caffeine-disclosure requirements in each market — we handle the documentation.
A note on caffeine ceilings: regulatory caffeine limits vary by market. US: the FDA does not set a hard ceiling on dietary supplement-classified energy drinks, but DSHEA labeling rules apply. EU: ~150 mg/L threshold triggers warning-label requirements. Mexico: COFEPRIS requires disclosed caffeine content. We work with your regulatory team to ensure your formula sits cleanly inside the markets you're targeting.
How we engage on energy drink projects — four tiers
| Tier | What we cover | Best for energy projects |
|---|---|---|
| Full Project | Development → Design → Legal → Sourcing → Manufacture → Logistics | Founders launching a new energy SKU with no formula yet |
| Full Tolling | Sourcing → Manufacture | Brands with formula + label but no Mexico supply chain |
| Hybrid | Sourcing → Manufacture → Logistics | US energy brands nearshoring with cross-border distribution |
| Soft Tolling | Manufacture only | Established energy CPG bringing own materials |
For new energy launches, Full Project is most common — the formula, regulatory framing, and supply chain all need to come together. For established brands moving production to Mexico, Hybrid dominates.
Why nearshore energy drink production to Mexico
Four reasons US energy brands move canning south:
- Tier-1 European canning equipment, Latin American operating cost. Krones and KHS are the same OEMs the largest US energy brands run. The cost structure is different.
- USMCA tariff treatment. Cross-border movement of finished energy drinks from Mexico to the US is fast, predictable, and tariff-friendly.
- Same time zone. Estado de México plant runs on US Central Time. Plant visits, video reviews, COA reviews — all in business hours.
- Material sourcing for energy ingredients is more accessible from MX than people assume. Mexican suppliers have caught up on flavor, taurine, B-vitamins, and most adaptogens. We've built the relationships.
Frequently asked questions
What's the smallest first run for a new energy SKU?
180,000 cans per SKU. That's roughly one production run on the Krones line — about a truckload of finished pallets. It's also a sensible launch quantity covering 4–6 weeks of inventory for most retail launches.
Does BEV develop the energy formula?
Yes — formula development is the first stage of our Full Project tier. We work from your concept (target caffeine, flavor profile, sweetener system, functional ingredients, shelf-life) and build a tested formulation. If you arrive with a finished formula, we go straight to Full Tolling.
Can BEV source unique adaptogens or nootropics?
Yes — lion's mane, cordyceps, rhodiola, ashwagandha, L-theanine, and the broader nootropic stack. These come from specialty suppliers with longer lead times — typically add 2–3 weeks to first-run materials lead time when adaptogens are in formula.
What's the highest caffeine level you'll formulate?
We'll formulate up to whatever the destination-market regulations allow. In the US, that means staying inside FDA dietary-supplement framework. In the EU, that means flagging warning labels above 150 mg/L. In Mexico, COFEPRIS requires clear disclosure. We'll guide you to a level that's commercially relevant and regulatorily clean.
Can BEV match the carbonation level of an existing brand we're benchmarking?
Yes. Inline CO₂ dosing is precision-controlled — we can dial carbonation from a soft sparkle (about 2 vol CO₂) to aggressive carbonation (4 vol CO₂+) and match a benchmark exactly via Anton Paar in-line measurement.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes — primarily to the US under USMCA. EU and other LATAM markets handled with regulatory paperwork built into the engagement.
What about cans with custom decoration — embossing, holographic ink, etc.?
Pre-printed cans handle holographic ink, soft-touch varnish, matte/gloss combinations, and metallic effects — all standard print decoration available through our can suppliers (Crown, Ardagh, Ball). Embossing is more specialized and adds 4–6 weeks to materials lead time.
Where is BEV's plant?
Tlazala #73, Col. San Miguel Tecpan, Jilotzingo, Estado de México 54571. Northwest of Mexico City, in the highland industrial corridor.
The fastest way to know whether BEV is the right co-packer for your energy drink is to talk to our AI strategist. Two minutes of conversation produces a real project brief — formats, MOQ, lead time, recommended engagement tier, and a quote band. Or read the parent guide: Beverage co-packing in cans.