Observations from CBC, Philly 2026
- Apr 28
- 3 min read
By Dan Welch, CODI Manufacturing
Last week I attended Craft Brewers Conference in Philly. For me, personally, being back in a city I lived in 15 years ago was meaningful: the Rittenhouse bazaar, the ramen in Chinatown, the irony that one of the most visited landmarks in a city filled with American history is a fictional boxer from the 1970s, the grime and the no-nonsense attitude that make Philly...Philly. I love it all. It was fun to be in the city with Jared, Devin, and Jake as part of the CODI Manufacturing team.
The Philly CBC was upbeat and positive, particularly considering the uncertainty of a few years ago. If I had to sum up the sentiment I heard from brewers and brewery owners in one word, it would be "equilibrium." By this I mean that many (most?) breweries I spoke with seemed to have found a balance between distribution and taproom and are achieving a positive cash flow. That's a change. A few years ago it seemed a little gloomier, perhaps it was just me, but I don’t think so. Regardless, this show felt different. Like we had all gone through something and come out the other side with a bit of perspective, and levity. I spoke to several people who were starting breweries. Man, their optimism was contagious. (New brewers: buy a CODI, you won't regret it!)
Tradeshows are demanding. The timezone changes, the lost sleep, the long days take a toll. But I find that when I believe in what I do, I barely notice. We had four machines on the floor, all built in Colorado, and we were eager to spotlight them. Our unrivaled counterpressure filler is known for its robustness, minimal loss at start-up, and the ease with which it handles CO2 volumes above 2.7 vols or higher incoming liquid temperatures. An attendee asked me what differentiates the CODI filler. "Ours is made of metal," I said. "Its stainless, meaning it can be cleaned with caustic, just like everything else in a brewery." Alongside the filler was the Gripper Lowerator, which elegantly moves cans from a depal and feeds them into the filler with a changeover that, as Jake puts it, "takes less time than it takes to tie your shoe."
Our Tunnel Pasteurizer garnered a lot of attention. Many breweries were looking to expand into low-alcohol or NA beer or other beverages, making pasteurization essential. Others wanted to stop guessing about microbial contamination. I enjoyed showing off the workmanship and attention to detail that goes into the CODI regenerative tunnel pasteurizer.
The star of the show was our Flex Stack gantry system. Taking up barely more space than a pallet, it automates palletizing, quickly and accurately placing cases. It eliminates the back-breaking labor of stacking, freeing up your team for better use of their time. CODI is a bit unusual at these shows in that we display pricing on our equipment, and a lot of people were surprised by the return on investment this machine delivers.
After the trade show ended, the organized chaos of post-show tear-down began. Loadout has its own vibe. Carpets were quickly rolled up, the hum of the crowd replaced by the growl and beeps of forklifts, and the gleaming machines went back into dark crates. As I left the floor and walked through Center City back to my hotel, I reflected on the event. People attend these events with agendas: to learn, to see what is new, to outfit a brewery, to sell equipment or services, to solve problems, to socialize, and to drink some exceptional beers (Monk's Café, anyone?). But the thing that matters most at these events is the connection with other humans. Some of them are former colleagues, current competitors, and friends, and sometimes all three. You know who you are. What a great industry to be part of. How lucky we are.
About CODI Manufacturing
CODI Manufacturing has been designing and building packaging automation in Colorado since 1992. We offer a complete line of beverage packaging equipment including can warmers, built in the USA and engineered to last. Veteran-owned. Machinery and a business that are "Built for Generations."
About Dan Welch
Dan Welch is Growth & Marketing Strategist at CODI Manufacturing. He spent over two decades as a sales and marketing executive at a Fortune 500 company before pivoting to the craft beverage equipment industry in 2018, where he held senior sales and general management roles. He joined CODI in 2025 and is based in Colorado.
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