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Northern Monk Ditched Direct Supply of 9M Cans Annually In A Bold Move To A Relationship-Driven Distributor

Northern Monk Brewery

Industry

Brewery

Challenge

After years of managing their can supply directly with a manufacturer, Northern Monk found themselves limited by slow communication, inflexible ordering terms, and a lack of proactive forecasting support—especially as they pushed into new formats and retail channels.

Results

Northern Monk partnered with Cask to unlock a responsive, relationship-driven supply chain that delivers monthly forecasting support, dedicated account management, and flexible warehousing—bringing smoother supermarket launches and confidence as they scale.

Key Product

Can Supply

www.northernmonk.com/
250K
Low Minimum Order Quantities
6 MO
Cask Managed Free Buffer Storage
2X
Bi-Weekly Meetings
3+
New SKUs Launched to Supermarkets

We act as a true extension of their team—handling ATM submissions, forecasting with Ball, and making sure their high-priority runs get scheduled. Our job is to keep Northern Monk focused on brewing and scaling, not chasing can deliveries.

Jaime Fleming

Order Fulfilment Specialist @ Cask

Northern Monk Company Values Banners Inclusive

About Northern Monk

Based in Leeds, Northern Monk is a purpose-driven craft brewery rooted in community, creativity, and impact. They’ve committed £150k through their Faith in Futures Foundation to support community causes by 2025, aim to achieve carbon zero status across direct operations by 2030, and proudly uphold Living Wage standards. As one of the UK’s most iconic and values-led breweries, Northern Monk blends bold brewing with bold purpose, fueling innovation across retail, hospitality, and global markets.

The Challenge

Managing 9M cans/year directly with a manufacturer was becoming increasingly complex. Forecasting was reactive, storage windows were limited to three months, and there was no strategic coordination for supermarket launches. With growing product diversity and new supermarket deals on the horizon, Northern Monk needed a more agile, communicative, and proactive partner.

“Working directly with a manufacturer offers minimal communication. It's usually a very passive—‘we have now charged you.’ There's no status updates on orders, or notification of changes.” — Emily, Northern Monk

Meanwhile, Northern Monk is actively growing—expanding supermarket presence, exploring new SKUs (including printed cans), and navigating sales performance in new formats. Their operational model needed flexibility and foresight.

The Solution

Northern Monk partnered with Cask—the global Ball Corp can supply distributor for craft—bringing a different model entirely: high-touch account management, proactive planning, and operational flexibility. Together, we've implemented:

  • 6-month storage windows (double what was provided through a manufacturer), giving the brewery breathing room as they test new supermarket lines.

  • Rolling 3-month forecasts, with the first month treated as actuals and the second submitted as ATMs (Authorizations to Manufacture) to Ball. These ATMs reserve production capacity in advance, reducing last-minute panic and securing line time.

  • Bi-weekly planning calls, aligning their forecasts and actuals with production needs.

Cask handled all communication with Ball, coordinated ATMs, and provided support through every label change, design cycle, and urgent production push. With flexible MOQ terms and transparent overrun policies, Northern Monk could confidently test new SKUs without overcommitting inventory.

The Results

Northern Monk’s move to Cask enables them to focus on growth—not admin. Forecasting accuracy is higher. Warehouse flexibility protects against SKU risk. And supermarket launches are smoother thanks to proactive scheduling and a true sense of partnership.

Looking ahead, Northern Monk is planning new product formats and expanding distribution—knowing that their can supply strategy is built on a stable, scalable foundation.

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