The Canworks acquisition is official. Milwaukee private equity firm Mason Wells announced on Oct. 14, 2026, that it has closed on the purchase of Canworks, Inc., a direct-to-aluminum-can digital printer founded in 2020 by brothers Ryan and Marshall Thompson, according to the Mason Wells announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed.
This is not a beer release, and nobody is tapping anything. But for the small breweries this Bureau usually reports on, the printed can is the spaceship the beer rides in. When the company that prints those ships changes hands, it is worth a transmission.
What the Canworks acquisition announcement says
Per Mason Wells, Canworks will be owned by Mason Wells, the founders and management, and other board members and co-investors. The release adds that “Ryan and Marshall Thompson and Canworks’ management team invested alongside Mason Wells.” Ally Corporate Finance provided financing for the transaction, and Quarles & Brady represented Mason Wells as legal counsel.
The announcement describes Canworks as a printer serving beverage brands across energy, wellness, hydration, craft beer, CBD and cannabis, ready-to-drink cocktails, ciders and seltzers, kombucha and more. Besides digitally printed cans of various sizes, it sells can ends and PakTechs, directly to brands and co-packers and through broker and distributor partners.
The company runs five facilities:
- Austin, Texas (headquarters)
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Vista, California
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Windsor, Connecticut
The Canworks acquisition, in their own words
“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Mason Wells and continue the Company’s growth,” said Ryan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of Canworks.
Marshall Thompson, the company’s President, added: “Our goal was to bring in a partner with significant experience scaling similar businesses at similar inflection points as Canworks. Mason Wells brings that in spades along with a dedicated focus on investing in the success of Canworks’ people and customers.”
“Canworks is a special company with a customer-centric culture that’s unmatched in the industry.”
— Damon Thome, Managing Director at Mason Wells
Thome also said the firm looks forward to “investing in the Company’s continued growth while maintaining the high levels of service and collaboration that Canworks is known for.” Mason Wells, formed in 1998, says it has raised $2.4 billion across five buyout funds, and Packaging Materials & Converting is one of the four sectors those funds invest in. In other words, this Canworks acquisition fits a lane the firm already drives in.
Why the Canworks acquisition matters to small breweries
Earth’s small brewers live on variety. A taproom might release a new IPA, a collaboration and a seasonal stout in the same month, each needing its own can. Traditional printed cans generally come in large minimum orders, which pushes many small producers toward blank cans with stick-on labels or shrink sleeves.
Digital printing is the alternative, and Canworks’ own website makes the pitch plainly: “Order exactly what you need. Launch small, test SKUs, or produce limited drops without wasting inventory or budget.” The site also promises artwork changes with “no setup fees, no plate delays,” and points out that printing directly on the can skips shrink sleeves and single-use plastic. Canworks says it has printed 500 million cans for more than 700 brands and calls itself the largest direct-to-can digital printer in the United States. Those are the company’s claims, not the Bureau’s audit.
Packaging is not a minor line item right now. Our report on California craft breweries closing noted that tariffs have raised prices for the imported aluminum breweries need for cans. New can art is also one way a brewery can signal a fresh chapter, as Public Coast Brewing showed when it marked its 10th anniversary with new cans.
The Vista plant: the San Diego County tie
One of Canworks’ five plants sits in Vista, California, a North County city that is home to a number of breweries. It is the same city The Lost Abbey is leaving as it moves out of its Vista brewery to “grow down”, a reminder that San Diego’s brewers are watching costs closely. The Canworks acquisition announcement does not say anything about changes at Vista or any other site, and the Bureau will not guess.
The Canworks website also notes that the company has acquired Digican and now offers print services from St. Louis plus 19.2-ounce capabilities. The release does not tie that to the Canworks acquisition by Mason Wells.
What to watch
Under the Canworks acquisition, the founders stay invested, management stays invested and the price stays secret. For small breweries, the open questions are practical: lead times, minimums and pricing. None of those were addressed in the announcement. If the Canworks acquisition changes anything a brewer can feel at the loading dock, this correspondent will be listening.
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