Ecosystem coverage from Second Wave Media. This article documents a Kalamazoo business and does not identify KZFV as a participant.
KALAMAZOO, MI: Good Trade Depot, a contract beverage manufacturer and fulfillment operation, has carved out a national niche by canning production runs far smaller than the industry norm, and is now weighing a second expansion. Owner/operator Matt White, 31, began the venture in his garage in 2017 reselling liquidated merchandise, then moved into warehousing and canning after early contracts with a Kenya-based coconut oil brand and with coffee roaster Roast Umber. The business grew into roughly 3,000 square feet on Miller Road before leasing 19,000 square feet at 701 E. Michigan Ave. in February 2024: the former Arcadia Ales brewing space behind Thunderbird.
The company accepts jobs as small as 2,300 16-ounce cans, while most U.S. co-packers require 30,000 to 60,000. Roughly 95 percent of clients are out of state.
Staff includes engineering director Amber Johnson, brewing director Caelan Deater and operations specialist Bridget Arnesen, all with Western Michigan University ties. The eight-person firm is approaching $1 million in annual sales and is planning a purpose-built 30,000-square-foot Kalamazoo facility, aided by an investor and by Southwest Michigan First’s entrepreneurial network.
