Skip to content
English
Go to freeflowwines.com
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Keg Management 101

Best practices for a successful, high margin wine-on-tap program with Free Flow Wines

👋 Key Contacts for Smooth Operations

To get started, Free Flow will need a few points of contact from your team:

  • Primary Contact
    Your main point of contact for everything related to Free Flow kegs. This person will handle any issues or escalation.

  • Inventory Contact
    Monthly reporting of full and empty keg inventory helps Free Flow ensure wine quality and improve throughput. Please have this contact ready.

  • Accounting Contact
    Invoices are sent electronically to this contact. Generic or parent company contacts are fine.

  • Warehouse Contact
    Free Flow works with this person to coordinate keg pickups and deliveries.

  • Sales Contact
    This person should be part of your on-premise sales team, so Free Flow can reach out for market opportunities to move more kegs.

🚚 Your Keg Logistics Plan

Yes, empty kegs need to come back! But it also means you're removing thousands of pounds from landfills and you won't need to charge your customers that pesky CRV.

Driver training is key — your drivers need to understand that empty kegs should be picked up with each new delivery. Here’s how it works:

  1. Deliver full kegs to accounts.

  2. Pick up empty kegs during each delivery.

  3. Consolidate empty kegs at your warehouse.

  4. Contact Free Flow to coordinate the return shipment.

📍 Special note for control states: If you're in a market where the government controls alcohol distribution, reach out to us — we’ve got options for you.

🪙 Keg Deposits & Credits

  • A $30 deposit is charged for each keg shipped out of Free Flow’s facilities.

  • Free Flow tracks each keg by serial number, and it’s recommended that distributors do the same for easy inventory and deposit traceability.

  • Deposit transfers: If kegs are moved to another distributor or warehouse, we require serial numbers to ensure deposits are properly transferred.

  • Deposit invoices must be paid in full until the empty kegs are returned. (See section on [Deposit Credits/Refunds] for more details.)

🔄 Reverse Logistics & Best Practices

Free Flow covers reverse keg logistics costs, but when distributors and Free Flow work together, costs decrease across the supply chain. 

📞 Need Help?

Whether you’re just starting or scaling your wine-on-tap program, Free Flow is here to support you at every stage.

📧 info@freeflowwines.com
📞 (415) 626-1215