7 Shocking Ways Atlas Labels & Packaging Dominates The Craft Beverage Industry In 2025
The packaging landscape for craft beverages is more competitive than ever, and as of December 20, 2025, Atlas Labels & Packaging is not just keeping up—it’s actively setting the pace. Specializing in the alcoholic and specialty beverage sectors, this Kansas-based company has cemented its position as a critical partner for brewpubs, microbreweries, and soda producers nationwide. Their success hinges on a unique blend of historical integrity, strategic management changes, and a relentless focus on delivering high-impact, custom-printed materials that make brands stand out on crowded retail shelves.
From the foundational motto of "Strength Through Integrity, Creativity and Customer Service" established in 1977, Atlas has evolved into a single-source provider, offering everything from custom labels to innovative retail carriers. The company’s ability to integrate diverse printing technologies—digital, flexographic, and offset—allows them to offer unparalleled flexibility and quality, directly addressing the complex needs of the modern beverage market.
Atlas Labels & Packaging: Company Profile and Strategic Evolution
Atlas Labels & Packaging, LLC, has a rich history rooted in customer-centric service and quality printing. The company's structure and strategic direction were significantly reshaped by a pivotal transaction that laid the groundwork for its current market dominance.
- Founded: 1977
- Motto: "Strength Through Integrity, Creativity and Customer Service"
- Headquarters: Lenexa, Kansas
- Core Industry Focus: Alcoholic and specialty beverage industries, including brewpubs, bottling and canning microbreweries, and soda producers.
- Key Products: Labels, beer can and bottle carriers, bottle caps and crowns, keg wraps, keg caps, keg collars, printed coasters, and retail boxes.
- Pivotal Acquisition: The company was acquired by ALP Holdings, LLC, a St. Louis holding company, in mid-2017 (June/August 2017).
- Key Leadership Change: Following the acquisition, Rick Leininger, a veteran with two decades of experience at Anheuser Busch, became the new President. This move injected significant industry expertise and strategic vision into the company's leadership.
- Current Status: Positioned as a leading national provider of printed packaging materials, emphasizing a "single-source provider" model.
1. The Strategic Shift: From Printer to Single-Source Partner
The modern Atlas Labels & Packaging is defined by its transition from a traditional label printer to a comprehensive "single-source provider" for the entire beverage packaging ecosystem. This strategic pivot is crucial for their clients, particularly smaller craft breweries and specialty producers, who often lack the resources to manage multiple vendors for different packaging components.
By offering a full suite of products—from the smallest bottle cap to the largest retail carrier—Atlas simplifies the supply chain. This consolidation saves clients time, reduces logistical complexity, and ensures brand consistency across all packaging elements. The integration of services allows for seamless coordination between label design, carrier printing, and promotional item creation, which is a massive competitive advantage in a fast-paced market.
2. Mastering the Art of the Can: New Retail Box Offerings
In the current market, the four-pack of pint cans (16-oz) has become the gold standard for high-end craft beer. Recognizing this trend, Atlas has introduced a critical new product: a specialized diecut carrier for four 16-oz pint cans. This isn't just a standard box; it's a carefully engineered solution.
The design features a panel that provides designers with extensive room for high-impact graphics and branding. This is vital because the carrier itself is often the final piece of marketing a consumer sees before purchase. Atlas also maintains standing dies to produce fully enclosed boxes for 4, 6, 8, or 12 cans, offering options for both glue flaps (for automated packing lines) and manual assembly. This focus on both aesthetic appeal and operational efficiency highlights their deep understanding of the beverage industry's needs.
3. The Triple-Threat Printing Technology: Digital, Flexo, and Offset
Atlas's technical prowess in printing is a major pillar of its dominance. They do not rely on a single technology but instead leverage a "triple-threat" approach, utilizing digital, flexographic (flexo), and offset printing methods. This technological flexibility allows them to match the best printing process to the client's specific needs, budget, and volume requirements.
- Digital Printing: Ideal for short runs, seasonal releases, and personalized labels, offering fast turnaround and cost-effective printing without the need for plates. This is perfect for the constantly rotating taps and limited-edition releases of microbreweries.
- Flexographic Printing: The workhorse of the label industry, used for medium-to-large runs, offering high-quality results on a variety of substrates (materials) for items like keg collars and standard labels.
- Offset Printing: Often utilized for high-volume, premium-quality printed materials like retail boxes and carriers, ensuring color consistency and sharp detail.
By mastering all three, Atlas ensures superior color fidelity and material choice across all product lines, maintaining a cohesive brand identity for its clients.
4. Targeted Expertise in Specialty Beverage Niches
Unlike general packaging companies, Atlas has intentionally focused its expertise on the alcoholic and specialty beverage industries. This specialization means their team understands the unique regulatory, material, and aesthetic challenges of this sector, such as moisture resistance for refrigerated products, the specific dimensions of different can and bottle formats, and the need for high-impact, shelf-ready graphics. Their product catalog is a direct reflection of this focus, including niche items like keg wraps and keg collars, which are essential for branding and information in the draft beer market.
5. Leadership Driven by Industry Veterans
The leadership under President Rick Leininger, who stepped into the role following the ALP Holdings acquisition, provides a significant strategic advantage. Leininger's two decades at Anheuser Busch gave him an insider's view of the large-scale beverage industry, which he now applies to the needs of craft producers. This executive experience ensures that Atlas’s operations are run with the efficiency and strategic foresight typically associated with much larger corporations, while still maintaining the customer service focus of a specialty provider.
6. Navigating Supply Chain Volatility and Lead Time Management
In recent years, the packaging industry has been plagued by material shortages and unpredictable lead times. Atlas has proactively managed this challenge by communicating lead time information transparently and strategically investing in inventory and operational capacity. Their ability to serve as a single-source provider also helps mitigate risk for their clients, as they can manage the inventory and delivery of multiple components simultaneously, reducing the chance of a production line bottleneck caused by a single missing item.
7. Commitment to Integrity and Customer Service as a Core Value
The company’s original 1977 motto—"Strength Through Integrity, Creativity and Customer Service"—remains the guiding principle, even through ownership changes. This commitment is evident in their stated mission: "Our Business is Your Passion." By aligning their success directly with the success of the craft beverage brands they serve, Atlas fosters deep, long-term partnerships. Their team acts as consultants, helping clients select the right materials and printing processes to achieve their branding goals effectively and affordably, ensuring that the packaging is a true extension of the brand's passion.
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