Castle has recently taken a step to propel itself to the next level, with the purchase of the former Chestnut Ridge Beverage plant in Latrobe, PA. This gives Castle a state of the art facility and opens up possibilities of increased business and new customers. In recent years Castle has been at the forefront of the nation's recent wave of innovation in ready-to-drink beverages, serving as a test bed and incubator of new brands that are bringing to many American consumers their first taste of exotic ingredients like white tea and yerba mate.
Among the cutting edge brands that are currently produced under contract at Castle Co-Packers are Argo All-Natural Bottled Tea Drinks, Guayaki Yerba Mate, as well as various Giant Eagle private label products, Harney & Sons real-brewed teas, and other teas and specialty waters.
At the helm of Castle is President and CEO Brian Dworkin, who made the decision 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, Brian overhauled the plant, while tilting its mix of product towards more exacting, higher-value beverages. For example it's one of 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 five lines on multiple shifts. Along the way the company has been certified as OU kosher and as gluten free. It now recycles 90% of it's 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. It's first year sales of $4 million have grown to a projected $20 million in sales in the very near future, with the addition of two new production lines opening in the new facilty. This will also grow the existing 122 employees to 150 by next year. 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