“Most of our clients aren’t celebrities or backed by venture capital. They have a great idea and need someone who understands how to bring it to life.”

Brooklyn Cannery is a beverage co-manufacturer based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Known for its deep industry knowledge and hands-on support, the company works with emerging and established brands to produce canned drinks. Its services range from product development and formulation to co-manufacturing and packaging, offering founders a clear path from idea to shelf. The business began when co-founder Maciej Barwinski started experimenting with a sparkling coffee recipe. While testing it in a shared kitchen space in Gowanus, he attended trade shows and spoke with other founders. Again and again, he heard the same frustrations: limited access to small-scale production, high minimums, and little support for early-stage brands. Instead of taking his product elsewhere, he decided to build a new kind of production model – one designed to solve those challenges for others like him. He stayed in New York, purchased a micro canning line, and began filling a gap that many in the industry had simply accepted as unavoidable. Maciej explains, “I built the kind of company I wish I had when I was starting out, one that gives new ideas a real shot at making it to market.”

Over the past five years, Brooklyn Cannery has steadily expanded its capabilities. The team now works with brands producing sodas, lemonades, sparkling teas, and more. Clients include early-stage founders, international startups, and collaborators launching limited-run products. Many come for the low minimums and flexibility — but stay for the team’s experience and ability to scale.

“We know how hard this is because we’ve done it ourselves.”

Brooklyn Cannery is run by people who understand the beverage space from the inside out. Lauren Flack, who came to the company with a background in entertainment and food and beverage brand marketing, brings a practical understanding of how ideas move from concept to consumer. Maciej, with a background in design and architecture, shaped the company’s clean, efficient production environment and its iterative approach to product development. Together, they lead a team that blends technical expertise with creative thinking to help brands bring their visions to life.

Housed in a former Sunset Park brewery, their facility allows them to maintain a local footprint while offering services that typically require larger, out-of-town operations. Choosing to stay in Brooklyn wasn’t the easiest path, but it was the right one. The team believes in keeping production local, sourcing locally when possible, and giving founders a space they can actually visit. Whether a client is based in Queens or flying in from Europe, Brooklyn Cannery offers access and support from day one.

The team’s approach to staffing reflects that same philosophy. They are building a clean, efficient, and intentional manufacturing environment where people are proud of what they are working on. Several team members joined from other sectors of the manufacturing industry and now play a central role in how the company operates and grows.

“Our job is to make it feel a little less overwhelming and a lot more possible.”

Since launching, Brooklyn Cannery has earned recognition for both its in-house products and its standout client collaborations. Their prebiotic sodas were named one of BevNet’s Best New Beverages. They were also selected by Empire State Development as one of nine Entrepreneurs to Watch, and featured by NYC Runs as part of the Brooklyn Half Marathon. In a recent collaboration, they partnered with the Brooklyn Museum to develop a custom beverage celebrating the institution’s 200th anniversary. Today, they continue building their own product lines while supporting dozens of clients across the U.S. and Europe.

Lauren is also an active supporter of SBIDC, having participated in its “Plan for Growth” program and now helping other small manufacturers navigate the challenges of growing in New York City. “That program changed the way I thought about what was possible. Now, I want to give that back to other people trying to build something here.”

Looking ahead, Brooklyn Cannery plans to relaunch its original sparkling coffee and expand its services across consulting, production, and distribution support. The team is building toward a more vertically integrated model that offers beverage brands a smarter, more sustainable way to scale. “We want to help more people bring thoughtful products into the world,” Lauren says. “Drinks that are well made, better for you, and exciting to share. That’s what brought us here in the first place, and that’s what keeps us moving.”