the Story
behind empire
Based in the Pacific Northwest and founded by 3 craft industry veterans.
Empire Can Handling is innovating and revolutionizing can handling
Empire Can Handling is a beverage canning equipment company that specializes in small-footprint and modular canning equipment designed for the standard 202 beverage can. Empire produces cost effective, reliable and modular inline canning equipment that provides a much needed solution for the small to mid level (up to 60 cans per minute) producer.
However, Empire is much more than just another equipment company – we are a customer service and customer success company.
Our customers success with our products is our success as well. Empire places the highest priority possible on customer service and ensuring that the customer has what they need - when they need it. Our innovative and user friendly interface educates and informs the customer on how to operate, repair, and maintain our machines.
With most of our components being non-proprietary we strive to have our cost of ownership be as minimal as possible.
Joel VandenBrink
With 5 years in the automotive industry and 13 years starting and operating 2 separate craft beverage companies based in Seattle, WA Joel VandenBrink has canned millions of gallons of liquid. Being the first Washington State craft brewery to put his liquid into the 12 ounce 202 can he has long been a trail blazer and innovator in the industry. And he has purchased so much bad equipment over the years that he deemed starting Empire Can Handling a necessity.
Joel leads the company operations on a daily basis and when he isn’t pushing Empire Can Handling forward he can be found with his family adventuring somewhere on the West Coast.
joel@empirecan.com
Mike Cameron
Mike has been making machines since before he could crawl. With 35 years in construction and craft beverage he has seen it all – and there isn’t a machine he can’t fix or make better.
Mike prefers things simple and to the point and this is how he designed Empire’s machines – to do their job and to do it well. Mike lives with his two dogs in a house he built in Rural WA and can be found walking his property while putting new machines together in his head.
mike@empirecan.com
Owen Lingley
Owen got his start in the craft beverage industry when it was a fraction of what it is now. Along the way he has started two industry leading craft beverage based businesses based out of Portland, OR. Owen’s passion is in solving problems that small and mid level producers face on the daily.
Based in PDX, Owen is Empire’s lead on spreading the good word about our machines and their capabilities. When he’s not preaching he can be found gardening at his house our chasing his two daughters from one adventure to the next
owen@empirecan.com
