Behind every craft brewery’s labels, taproom signage, and merch table is a question of how to make it all without breaking the bank or waiting on outside vendors. Europort Co., Ltd., a Japanese printing-solutions company founded in 1984, wants to help breweries bring that work in-house. From full-color can and label printing to T-shirts, stickers, and event goods, the company supplies the machines, materials, and support that let even the smallest brewery produce limited runs on its own schedule. We spoke with Europort about what it offers the brewing world, why doing it yourself can pay off, and the new printer it’s about to debut.
Europort Co., Ltd. specializes in printing solutions for a wide range of industries and businesses. What products and services can it provide to the brewing industry, in particular smaller craft breweries?
We believe the appeal of craft beer lies not only in taste, but in the whole “world” of the brand: the label design, the atmosphere of their space, merchandise, and how everything is presented at events. At Europort, we offer the machines and materials that let breweries produce in-house the things that give their brand its personality. That includes labels, stickers, T-shirts, tote bags, coasters, signage, point-of-sale displays, acrylic keychains, event merchandise, and more. For example, you can print a small run of labels for a new beer, make limited-edition T-shirts for an event, or create the menus and signs for your taproom.
The smaller the brewery, the more frequent these small opportunities to get your name out tend to be. You have limited and seasonal releases, event appearances, and more. Rather than outsourcing each time, being able to make what you need on your own schedule dramatically expands your creative freedom in building a brand.
All breweries need to print labels for their bottles or cans. What are some advantages of doing this in-house (with your machines) rather than outsourcing? Can you tell us a little about the machines that support this? (Models, capabilities, price range)
The biggest advantage of being able to make labels yourself is that you can produce exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. Craft breweries often release a variety of products in small quantities, whether they be new brews, seasonal limiteds, collaborations, or exclusive event items. With outsourcing, minimum order quantities and lead times can make it difficult when you only want a small batch or need something in a hurry.
With the ability to make labels in-house, all these things become much easier:
• Printing a small run of labels to test-market a new beer
• Adding limited-edition labels right before an event
• Tweaking a design and rolling it out across seasonal products
• Producing just as many as you need as you watch how sales go
• Extending a design beyond labels to stickers and point-of-sale displays
On the equipment side, we offer compact label printers that produce full-color labels for bottles and cans, as well as labelers that apply the printed labels cleanly. And if you also want to make stickers, in-store displays, or window signage, we can suggest machines that both print and cut.
As for price, compact label-making machines start around ¥200,000, while machines capable of more full-scale label and promotional-item production range from ¥500,000 up to ¥1,000,000 and beyond. We recommend the ideal setup based on the size and quantity of the labels you want to make, the materials you’ll use, and how much you want to handle in-house.
T-shirts and other apparel are popular in the craft brewing industry, but these are also mostly outsourced. Again, what are some advantages of doing this in-house? Does the quality of printed T-shirts compare to a good T-shirt silk-screener?
Merchandise like T-shirts and tote bags go hand in hand with building a craft beer brand. When customers wear your logo or label design, they naturally become a channel for spreading the word about your brand. A major advantage of being able to make merchandise in-house is that you can easily try it out starting from just a few pieces. For instance, you can make just 20 T-shirts for an event, create a limited-edition tote bag to match a new beer, or produce staff apparel and retail merchandise in the same design.
There are several methods for printing T-shirts, and each has its own strengths. Some methods are suited to producing full-color, photo-like designs or fine illustrations in small quantities, while silk-screen printing is suited to producing the same design in large numbers. At Europort, we handle not only digital printing machines but also equipment and materials for silk-screen printing. So rather than saying “one is better than the other,” we suggest using each method as appropriate for the design, quantity, materials, budget, and sales approach you have in mind.
For example, you might choose a method suited to small lots for a limited event run, or silk-screen printing for a staple item produced in larger quantities. We guide each brewery toward a merchandise-production approach it can sustain comfortably, matched to its brand image and sales plans.
Are the supplies (ink cartridges, etc.) relatively easy to purchase and change?
Yes. Consumables such as ink, label stock, and maintenance supplies can be purchased on an ongoing basis from Europort. They can be ordered online anytime through Europort’s e-commerce site, and we’ve set things up so it’s easy to arrange them whenever you need them. Many of the machines are also designed for easy day-to-day use, and an increasing number are easy to handle even for those without specialized knowledge. At the time of installation, we also explain how to change the ink, routine maintenance, and tips for achieving a clean finish. Since you can consult us not just about the machines but also the materials and consumables you’ll use, we think breweries taking on in-house production for the first time should feel reassured.
What are some of the equipment manufacturers you work with?
Europort handles equipment from a variety of manufacturers, both in Japan and abroad. That said, we think what matters to Japan Beer Times readers is less the manufacturer names than what you can make. We can offer a wide range of options to match your needs: machines for making labels, T-shirts, and stickers; machines that print directly onto bottles and merchandise; machines that process acrylic and wood; embroidery machines, and more.
A defining feature of Europort is that, rather than leaning on any single manufacturer, we help you choose based on your purpose, budget, installation space, and the quantities you want to produce. We make our recommendations from the perspective of which method best fits what the customer wants to make.
Can you please tell us a little about your company history?
Europort Co., Ltd. was founded in 1984 and has expanded its business expertise over the years in step with changing times and customer needs. Today, we support manufacturing across a range of industries, handling printing equipment, processing machines, materials, and consumables. We offer products and know-how covering a broad range of creations, including T-shirts, stickers, signage, novelty items, acrylic goods, embroidery, labels, and more.
What we value is not simply selling machines. It’s listening to what the customer wants to make, and how they want to turn that into a business. We then propose the method best suited to that goal. Before any purchase, we offer demonstrations where customers can check the actual finished results, along with consultations at our showroom. After the purchase, we provide support on usage and operations. Rather than ending our relationship at the sale of a machine, we place great importance on walking alongside our customers all the way to mastering the equipment and connecting it to product creation and sales.
In a field like the craft beer industry, where a brewery’s personality and worldview are so important, being able to produce your own labels, merchandise, store décor, and event promotional materials becomes a major strength. Europort aims to be a partner that supports that kind of creativity.
What kind of other support do you provide?
After installation, we continue to provide support on how to use the machines, how to choose consumables, routine maintenance, and troubleshooting. When you’re installing a machine for the first time, it’s not only a question of “what should I buy,” but also “will I be able to keep using it,” and “can I get help when I run into trouble?” Europort provides seamless support from selecting the right model before purchase through operational consultations after delivery. We also offer a showroom where customers can check the actual finished results, as well as online consultations. Even breweries located far away can consult us about any concerns before purchasing and confirm which machine suits what they want to make.
Whether you already know what you want to make (“I want to make labels,” “I want to make T-shirts,” “I want to add more merchandise for events”) or whether you’re still at the stage of “I don’t know where to start,” we’re happy to help.
Any interesting new products or services on the horizon?
Right now, what we’re especially excited about is a new machine that can print full color directly onto cylindrical objects such as bottles, cans, and tumblers. For the craft beer industry, we expect it to be useful in all sorts of ways for expressing a brand’s world. You can put designs directly onto cans and bottles, make event-exclusive tumblers, and create commemorative items and original merchandise.
Until now, designing cans and bottles has mainly meant applying labels or outsourcing the printing. By adding the option of printing directly, it becomes much easier to accommodate small-lot limited designs and special designs for each event. Craft beer has a culture of enjoying not just the taste, but the look of the can or bottle, the story, and the design as well. That’s exactly why we believe a machine that lets you create packaging and merchandise more freely offers breweries a new option for brand expression.
This machine is scheduled to make its first appearance in Japan at “Printing Voyage 2026,” an exhibition hosted by Europort on July 15–16, 2026. By seeing the actual machine and print samples, we think visitors will be able to picture concretely how it can be used across cans, bottles, tumblers, and merchandise.
Thank you, Europort!
For more information, please visit: europort.jp
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