What canning actually costs, line by line.
A café can start selling its own canned drinks for about $1,900: the $1,799 one-button automatic seamer with free shipping plus one case of blank clear cans. The touch screen model is $1,899, and Affirm or Klarna at checkout, subject to approval, splits either one into monthly payments of about $75. Ongoing cost is the can (57 cents to 99 cents depending on size and volume) plus your drink's ingredients, and at typical café pricing the machine pays for itself in weeks to a few months of modest sales.
What do you need to buy to start?
The whole shopping list is two lines: a machine and a case of cans. Every machine seals every can size on one standard seam, so the machine choice is about speed and volume, not about which drinks you can run.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| One-button automatic seamer | $1,799 | Free shipping, standard 110V outlet, no install |
| Touch screen automatic seamer | $1,899 | Free shipping, built for back-to-back batch runs |
| First case of blank cans | $99 to $172 | Clear PET, lids included; case size varies by can size |
| All-in to first sealed can | from about $1,900 | No contracts, no minimums beyond one case |
| Or, split over 24 months | about $75 a month | Affirm or Klarna at checkout, subject to approval |
Cases are 200 cans in the 4, 8 and 12 oz sizes and 100 cans in the 16 oz size. Can shipping is billed separately.
What does each can cost after that?
Per-can price depends on the size and on how many you order. One-off, a 4 oz can starts at 70 cents and a 16 oz can starts under a dollar. Volume brings both down, and the Canned Club subscription takes the smallest size as low as 57 cents.
Add your recipe's ingredients on top. House cold brew usually lands between 60 cents and $1.20 for a 16 oz pour, matcha and specialty lattes a bit more, and the smaller sizes cost proportionally less to fill.
Call it $1.75 to $2.50 of product cost in a 16 oz can you sell for $6 to $8. That is a 65 to 75 percent gross margin, made in a batch instead of one drink at a time during rush. The smaller sizes run a wider margin still, because the can is cheaper and so is what goes in it.
How fast does the machine pay for itself?
Worked example, on the conservative side: sell 6 cans a day at $6.50 with $2.10 total product cost. That is $4.40 gross profit per can, about $26 a day, roughly $800 a month.
Against the $1,799 automatic, payback lands just past two months, and every case after that is margin. Double the volume to 12 cans a day, which is one small fridge restock, and it pays back in about five weeks. Split the machine over 24 months instead and the $800 covers the payment from the first month.
Adding a second can size does not change the payback math, because it does not cost anything to add. Run your own numbers in the calculator below.
What costs are NOT in the picture?
The honest fine print, so the math stays trustworthy:
- Shipping on can cases: billed separately at live UPS rates, roughly a flat fee per case.
- Fridge space: the grab-and-go cooler you likely already run.
- Labels: stickers from your label printer work day one; custom printed cans start at 95 cents to $1.25 per can at 1,000-can minimums when a recipe earns it.
- A few minutes of labor per batch: filling and sealing 20 cans takes about 15 minutes.
- A second machine for a second size: not a cost, because there is no such thing here. One seam standard covers all four sizes.
How does this compare to a co-packer?
A co-packer run starts around $5,000 to $15,000 per flavor, requires 5,000 to 10,000 cans minimum, reformulates your recipe for their line, and books out weeks. It is the right tool at grocery-chain volume.
The countertop route flips every one of those numbers: about $1,900 to start, or about $75 a month financed subject to approval, batches of one case, your exact recipe, sealed the same morning you brew it, in whichever size the drink calls for.
See your payback in seconds.
Drag in your own numbers: drinks a day, what you charge, your costs. We'll show the margin per can, what it adds each month, and how fast the seamer pays for itself. No email needed to try.
Get the full math as a one-pager, handy for showing a partner or co-owner.
1-year warranty on the seamer · free shipping on the seamer · cancel cans anytime
Q.Do I need a different machine for each can size?
No. Every machine we sell seals every size on the same 55mm seam standard. Buying a second size costs you a case of cans, not a second machine.
Q.Is there a subscription requirement?
No. The machine is a one-time purchase and blank cans are available one case at a time. The Canned Club subscription exists only to lower your per-can price once you know your volume; it has a 200-can monthly minimum and a 3-month minimum term, then cancel anytime.
Q.What about financing?
Checkout supports Affirm and Klarna, which puts the automatic seamer around $75 a month. At the example margins above, two days of can sales a week covers the payment.
Q.Does the price include everything the machine needs?
Yes. Every model plugs into a normal outlet, none of them need compressed air or plumbing, and every machine ships free. The only consumable is the can itself, and lids are included in the can price.
Ready to pour your first can?
Countertop sealers from $1,799, shipping free on every model. Add a case of blank cans in any size and start the day it lands.