Operating quietly out of Schreiber Industrial Park in New Kensington, Castle Co-Packers may not have garnered a high profile as a Pittsburgh-area innovator. But in recent years it’s been at the forefront of the nation’s recent wave of innovation in ready-to-drink beverages, serving as a testbed and incubator of new brands that are bringing to many American consumers their first taste of exotic ingredients like white tea and yerba mate, often in organic formulations well-suited for the shelves of Whole Foods Market.
Among the cutting-edge brands that are currently produced under contract there are Guayaki and Bombilla & Gourd yerba mates, Sweet Leaf and Harney & Sons real-brewed teas, Hint essence waters, Bot and Wadda Juice healthier kids drinks and Liv Natural sports drinks. It also produces Whole Foods’ own 365 store brand and Target’s Archer Farms store brand. In the past, the company has played a key role in nurturing now-familiar brands like Fuze enhanced juice drinks and Honest Tea, both now widely available brands that are affiliated with Coca-Cola Co.
At the helm of Castle is Brian Dworkin, age 35, who decided to break out on his own from a family beverage business in Connecticut that dates back to 1904. He spotted an opportunity at Castle, in 2005 buying out of bankruptcy a run-down, 300,000-square-foot plant that was in urgent need of some tender loving care. Step by step, Dworkin overhauled the plant, while tilting its mix of work toward more exacting, higher-value beverages. For example, it’s one of only a handful of contract producers in this country that can brew a bottled tea directly from tea leaves, rather than from powders or other forms that yield an inferior-tasting product. Starting with a single production line, the company has more than doubled its business each year to the point where it now operates three lines on multiple shifts. Along the way, the company has been certified as organic, as OU kosher and as gluten-free. It also now recycles 80% of its materials, on a path to approaching 100% recyclability as soon as possible.
Doing good work has proved to be good business for the privately owned company. Its first-year sales of $4 million have grown to a projected $20 million in sales for 2008, and its current payroll of 122 employees is anticipated to grow to 150 by year-end. By offering a one-stop-shopping approach to the growing legions of beverage entrepreneurs in this country, Castle sees no end to its growth in sight.