Chicago, IL — ProFood World will honor winners of the sixth annual Manufacturing Innovation Awards at PACK EXPO International in October 2022. These awards recognize outstanding food and beverage processing and packaging innovation projects involving greenfield plants, expansion and renovation projects, or line upgrades. This year’s winners include Mark Anthony Brewing and Sugarlands Distilling Co.

Mark Anthony Brewing (MAB) will be recognized for its new 1.3-million-sq-ft state-of-the-art, fast-track greenfield brewery located in Columbia, S.C. The new facility is the largest and most technologically advanced brewery built in the U.S. in the last 28 years and was realized at a speed never before seen in the industry. What would normally take at least four to six years to plan and build, MAB accomplished in less than one year. The new facility will produce White Claw Hard Seltzer, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Mike’s Harder Lemonade, and Cayman Jack Premium Cocktails in glass bottles and cans to meet growing demands in the eastern U.S. At peak production, the new facility can produce 8 million barrels of finished product and package 112 million cases per year.

Also honored is Sugarlands Distilling Co., a craft brewer of moonshine, rum, cream liqueurs, and rye whiskey. The 32,000-sq-ft facility located in Kodak, Tennessee, recently underwent a $28 million expansion project to support increased production of its Roaming Man Whiskey and introduce its High Rock Vodka. The highly automated and flexible production expansion project allows for a more streamlined approach to potential future expansion and delivers increased throughput, quality, and asset utilization.

“I am looking forward to hosting these award winners at PACK EXPO International this October at Chicago’s McCormick Place to share details about their projects,” said Joyce Fassl, Senior Executive Editor of ProFood World. “Food and beverage attendees of PACK EXPO International will be able learn more about the winning companies’ success stories during a special session on Tuesday, October 25 at the Processing Innovation Stage.”

ProFood World Publisher, Patrick Young adds, “The Processing Zone at PACK EXPO International supports the food and beverage manufacturing community with opportunities to network and discover new solutions to help increase efficiency, achieve total system integration, and ensure safety, while supporting their sustainability goals.”

Find additional details about PACK EXPO International at www.packexpo.com and ProFood World’s Manufacturing Innovation Awards online at pfwgo.to/mia.