Small batch drink canning, from a few dozen to a few hundred cans a day, needs three things: a tabletop can seamer, empty cans with lids, and a fridge. A one-button automatic seamer is the right fit at this scale: it seals a can in about 3 seconds, so one person filling and sealing moves about 80 cans an hour, and it plugs into a standard outlet with no compressed air. The Canned seamer is $1,799 with free shipping and seals clear PET cans from 4 to 16 oz with no spacers. Below that volume a manual seamer works; above roughly a thousand cans an hour you need a production line or a co-packer.
Pick the tier that matches the volume you will actually run, not the volume you hope for in three years.
| Volume | Equipment | Typical cost | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| A few cans a week | Manual seamer | $300 to $1,500 | Events, testing a recipe |
| Dozens to hundreds a day | Automatic tabletop seamer | $1,500 to $4,000 (Canned: $1,799) | Cafés, juice bars, small brands |
| 1,000+ an hour | Production canning line | $30,000 and up | Breweries, co-packers, retail brands |
Market ranges across the category as of 2026.
The whole kit fits on one counter:
On an automatic seamer the seal takes about 3 seconds (2.6 on the Pro), so filling sets the pace. One person runs about 80 cans an hour; two people, one filling and one sealing, go faster still. A 20-can batch is roughly a 15-minute job.
On a manual seamer, each can takes 30 to 60 seconds of cranking, so one person tops out at 30 to 60 cans an hour and the seam quality depends on how tired they are.
The can is the only consumable. Clear PET cans with lids run 57 cents to 99 cents each by size and volume, with no pallet minimum: cans ship by the case. A 16 oz can is 99 cents by the case and 74 cents on subscription volume.
The seamer is a one-time cost of $1,799, or about $1,900 including a first case of cans. There is no service contract, and power use is a fraction of a kilowatt for a few seconds per can.
No. Water-bath and pressure canning in glass jars heat-process food so it keeps on a shelf. Small batch drink canning seals a cold drink in a can with a double seam, and the can stays in the fridge. The seal keeps spills and oxygen out; the cold keeps the drink safe.
If you want a shelf-stable canned drink for grocery distribution, that is a commercial process, usually through a co-packer. Small batch canning is for drinks you sell fresh from your own fridge, or to nearby wholesale accounts that keep them cold.
A one-button automatic tabletop seamer that adjusts to can height on its own and holds the can still while sealing. The Canned seamer is $1,799 with free shipping and seals 4 to 16 oz clear cans in about 3 seconds.
Yes, on the Canned line. All four clear PET sizes share one 55mm lid, and the platform raises each can to the head automatically, so there is no changeover between sizes.
One case. Cans ship by the case with lids included, so a small batch program never has to buy a pallet.
Yes. A can sealed at your counter is fresh product. Keep it at 40°F or below, date it, and sell it within a short window.
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.