How Custom Deco, a division of Boelter, is elevating the future of decorated glassware through innovation 

For nearly a century, Boelter has been a trusted foodservice and beverage partner, offering integrated design, equipment, supply, and branding solutions across commercial foodservice markets, global and craft beverage brands. Throughout its journey, the company has developed an unparalleled knowledge of the industries it serves, empowering it to deliver expert guidance and consultation to its clients. Guided by its mission to connect and improve lives in meaningful ways through food and beverage, Boelter’s exceptional team – along with its extensive global network of premium supplier partners – remains deeply committed to creating memorable experiences for customers and the people they serve. By working with partners across the food and beverage sector, the company adeptly tailors solutions to projects of all sizes. Nathan Ruetz, Director of Manufacturing, introduces us to Boelter and its glassware decorating division, Custom Deco, which has revolutionized its operations. 

“Established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Boelter’s roots can be traced back to the Great Depression. Founder Fred Boelter started the company by selling products door-to-door to taverns and rooming houses. Over the years, he built a strong reputation for service and reliability, laying the foundation for the company’s current success. As a trusted partner for restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and commercial kitchen operations across North America, Boelter designs, constructs, and installs equipment and suppliers for food service establishments ranging from senior living facilities, clubs, and resorts to NFL stadiums, and more. On top of that, the organization supplies appliances, cleaning materials and more for these food service establishments,” he elaborates. 

Custom Deco was founded in 1977 in Toledo, Ohio, with a primary focus on providing decorating services to Libbey Glass, while also serving a broader range of customers in the glassware industry. Over the years, the business grew into the premier glassware decorator in North America, both in terms of capacity and capabilities. Today, Custom Deco primarily serves the beverage, retail, and foodservice industries with high-quality decorated glassware, specializing in screen printing, direct-to-surface digital printing, and other specialty decorating techniques. Its mission is to deliver innovative branding solutions that help customers grow their brands and achieve ongoing success. In 2006, Custom Deco became a part of Boelter, a 95-year-old family-owned leader in the foodservice and beverage industry. 

Amongst Boelter’s array of services, its branding solutions play a significant role, showcasing the seamless integration of Custom Deco within the company’s offerings. “The vertically integrated manufacturing division of Boelter, particularly in glassware, serves as a cornerstone in the food service and beverage market. Custom Deco’s exceptional glassware decorating capabilities, cutting-edge technology, industry expertise, and passion for innovation have been instrumental in supporting leading brands with tailored branding solutions. Boelter’s longstanding culture of service, quality, and commitment to customer success is deeply embedded within its operations and clearly reflected through its decorating division, Custom Deco. This dedication ensures that Boelter remains a reliable partner, delivering consistent and unparalleled service to its clients, day in and day out,” Nathan adds. 

“Within our 100,000-square-foot facility, we produce hundreds of thousands of custom glasses weekly, each decorated with new art, ink, designs, and concepts. Given the level of customization in our business, it’s not always easy to apply traditional automation solutions and standardization practices into our processes. In recent years, we have heavily invested in automation and equipment to enhance our printing capabilities. At the same time, we are working on the digitalization of our plant as we believe it is crucial to our continued success,” Nathan continues. “While our primary operations revolve around screen printing, known for its efficiency in high-volume glass decoration, we have also embraced direct-to-surface printing technology, which has evolved significantly over the past decade. This advancement has allowed us to cater to evolving market trends, particularly the shift towards lower volume, higher customization manufacturing, which is mostly driven by collaborations and special events. While we still support high-volume production, we’ve enhanced our operations to offer flexible, cost-effective options for lower-volume and custom projects alongside our traditional capabilities.” 

In addition to its in-house capabilities, Custom Deco also values strong partnerships with fellow decorators and manufacturers to provide comprehensive solutions for customers. One of its most trusted partners is Jafe Decorating, a premier spray coater with a deep presence in the candle market. While Custom Deco specializes in screen and digital printing, Jafe brings expertise in spray application – allowing both companies to collaborate and deliver complementary solutions based on customer needs. “It’s a great example of how two companies with shared values but different specialties can complement each other’s capabilities without competing – ultimately delivering the best solution for the customer,” Nathan says. 

Accelerating transformation 

In tandem with the integration of new technologies into its operations, Boelter is actively engaged in upskilling its workforce to enable it to properly leverage these technological advancements. As a part of this initiative, the company has established a partnership with a local community college. “Through a collaboration with Owen’s Community College, we developed a tailored training program last year, successfully enrolling 60 percent of our production associates. Our joint program addresses specific needs within our plant workforce to optimize their performance, equipping them with the correct tools for success. Alongside essential aspects like quality principles, general manufacturing practices, and root cause corrective action, this program covers fundamental computer skills, as interacting with an ERP system may not be a universal skillset among our workforce,” Nathan comments. 

“Having invested in both equipment and workforce development, we’re now shifting focus toward accelerating digital transformation and smart factory initiatives in 2025 and beyond. We have already implemented some Internet of Things (IoT) technology for monitoring machine efficiency and basic metrics. But our ultimate goal is to integrate real-time machine data with product quoting processes. Given our emphasis on customization, the ability to link specific quotes to corresponding outputs in the plant is crucial for providing associates with clear visibility into their performance. This integration will enable our team members to assess their progress and pivot quickly if needed, thereby ensuring successful operations. Such technologies play a key role in fostering a culture of empowerment and accountability, equipping employees with the tools and data necessary for making informed, real-time decisions,” he concludes. 

Through cutting-edge technology, creative expertise, and a passionate workforce, Custom Deco brings Boelter’s mission to life – connecting people and elevating brands, one glass at a time.  

boelter.com