Northern Monk improves all-important labelling with Sovereign

Posted on 1 January 2026 by Sovereign Labelling Machines

To improve the look and impact of its labelled cans, leading independent brewery Northern Monk Brew Co has successfully installed a brand-new inline wraparound labeller from Sovereign Labelling Machines.

The Leeds, UK-based brewery is renowned for its range of beers that embrace the best of traditional monastic brewing values and processes coupled with a progressive approach to ingredients and techniques. Sovereign is the leading supplier of high-quality labelling and sleeving systems for many different industries and important applications. This includes the vast beverage market, where labelled cans are one of the most prominent forms of product decoration.

The system installed with Northern Monk is a Sovereign Monarch model. It features a linear wrap labeller that precisely and securely applies full-height wraparound labels onto containers. This is fed by a scroll fed system that controls the flow of cans, with servo-driven conveyors ensuring smooth and controlled passage of cans throughout the line. Self-adhesive labels are applied to cans at a rate of up to 200 a minute.

Having recently commissioned this new system, Sovereign’s expertise in precision labelling of cans is already proving invaluable to Northern Monk.

“We were looking for a labeller that could meet current demand, eliminate issues we were encountering, while also being future-proof,” explains Nat Newport, Trainee Packaging Manager at Northern Monk.

“The result of this project has been a huge improvement in operational efficiency, a reduction in label waste, and a much higher quality to our applied labels.”

The line is being used to label cans for supermarket retail, special editions, and Patrons Projects beers, which account for around 40% of the beer packed by Northern Monk.

Back to the future

Northern Monk’s beers are multi-award winning, with connoisseurs and consumers alike celebrating its IPAs, stouts, and limited-edition specials.

Northern Monk’s labels have also won awards. They feature printed designs with bold, modern artwork, intricate illustrations, and rich colour palettes that relate directly to the beverage, its name, and theme. For example, the labels for its annual Christmas special, Festive Star 2025, have a distinctive green and red colour palette and lean into the iconography of the season while reflecting the beer’s flavour profile of vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate. For a special Patrons Projects collection that Northern Monk worked on with David Bailey, labels feature the award-winning illustrator and comic artist’s distinctive artwork style and celebrate pub culture.

These examples highlight the importance of labels and labelling to the brand and its ongoing position in the highly competitive UK craft beer market.

To help maintain the appearance of its products on shelf and when in the hands of consumers, Northern Monk was in the market for a modern labelling system that could meet the quality, volume, and performance demanded for its labels, as well as provide a future-proof platform.

This came in the form of the Sovereign Monarch inline wraparound labeller.

Consistent quality

Northern Monk has benefited from Sovereign’s history and understanding of the intricacies of can labelling, deep expertise in engineering modular machines for precise and repeatable labelling, and integration of complete lines that take labels and labelling to new heights.

Nat notes: “Our old labeller wasn’t fit for purpose anymore. We were having many issues with it and after doing improvement works ourselves, we decided that the best course of action was to buy a new machine.

“Sovereign has been a great company to work with on this project, as not only have we received a high-quality machine, but they went above and beyond throughout the project. They worked closely with us to find the best solution to our issues while keeping to our budget. They communicated effectively with us and answered any queries we had promptly. They ensured the machine was exactly what we needed, as well as offering their own ideas on how to improve the set-up.

“When we mentioned we’d experienced breakdowns with our existing labelling set-up, they even sorted us out with a rental labeller while our new machine was being manufactured.

“During my discussions with Jordan [Hynes, Business Development Manager at Sovereign Labelling Machines] on what we were looking for, he suggested the most effective way to meet current demand whilst also allowing us significant room for future growth.”

Whilst all of Sovereign’s machines are bespoke and modular, meaning they are suited exactly to the customer’s requirement and infinitely upgradable, it is this level of care and attention to detail that sets Sovereign apart. It makes the company the go-to labelling and sleeving partner for forward-thinking brands and co-packers.

Reflecting on this project, Jordan says: “Northern Monk is a fantastic example of the impact high-quality labelling can have for a brand and its products. It also demonstrates the impact of production and operational efficiency when labelling is not at the required level.

“We are delighted to have been tasked by the UK’s leading independent brewery to support it with the labelling it needs to maintain and strengthen its position in the market.”

Nat confirms: “We’ve seen a huge reduction in label waste and the quality of application has been much higher and more consistent than before, as well as keeping production speed at its highest output. It has brought our operational efficiency back up to where it needs to be and reduced the workload on our operators enabling them to more effectively allocate their time.

“Overall, this project has been a great success and allowed us to achieve an even better result than we hoped.”

For more on Northern Monk and its range of beers, visit www.northernmonk.com

For more on our labelling solutions, visit Industrial Labelling Machines – Sovereign Labelling