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Why cGMP Certification Is Critical For Beverage Brands

woman holding beer in a beaker in a cGMP certified beverage lab

Choosing the right contract production partner can make or break the quality, consistency, and long-term success of your beverage brand. That’s why cGMP certification—Current Good Manufacturing Practices—is one of the strongest indicators of a safe, reliable, and high-quality production environment.

A brewery operating under a certified cGMP program follows rigorous standards set by global regulatory bodies to prevent contamination, protect product integrity, and ensure every batch meets strict safety and quality benchmarks.

For emerging and established brands alike, partnering with a cGMP certified facility isn’t just a compliance advantage—it’s a strategic edge that elevates your product in the eyes of distributors, retailers, and consumers.

What is a cGMP certification?

assembly line of beer bottles in a cGMP certified facility

A cGMP audit rating from ASI Food Safety is a globally recognized certification that verifies excellence in food and beverage safety, quality management, and operational practices.

This independent recognition ensures your brand is produced in a facility that meets the highest international standards, providing confidence for distributors, retailers, and consumers alike.

Abita proudly holds a Superior cGMP audit rating, providing your beverage brand with the confidence of top-notch quality assurance.

Why Being cGMP Certified Matters

member of a beer quality control team at a cGMP certified facility looking at the cloudiness of the beer

cGMP certification matters because it directly influences the safety, stability, and reliability of the beverages consumers ultimately experience.

These quality assurance steps aren’t just checkboxes—they translate into real value. Working with a cGMP certified production partner like Abita ensures your beverage brand has the following:

  • Shelf stability via in-line/tunnel pasteurization for kegs and packaged products helps your product travel farther and stay presentable on the shelf without flavor drift or spoilage.
  • Consistency ensures that your consumer’s first impression and your brand promise remain aligned, batch after batch.
  • Risk mitigation for recalls, off-flavors, packaging defects, or regulatory non-compliance is sharply reduced when you have comprehensive QA.

What You Get When Partnering With A Brand With cGMP Certification

woman at a beverage quality control lab looking through a microscope

A cGMP certified partner provides more than production capacity; they bring documented processes, rigorous controls, and repeatable quality systems that protect your brand at every stage of brewing and packaging. With Abita’s Superior cGMP audit rating, contract partners gain access to the following:

  • Advanced pasteurization technology to extend shelf life and maintain flavor integrity
  • Routine sensory panels that ensure each batch matches your brand’s profile
  • Continuous packaging line monitoring for fill accuracy, seam integrity, and labeling
  • Compliance oversight with TTB, FDA, and state-level regulations
  • In-house laboratory testing for microbiological, chemical, and sensory analysis

Our full-service laboratory includes the following capabilities:

  • Microbiological testing using Universal Beer Agar (UBA), Hsu’s Lactobacillus/Pediococcus agar (HLP), Lee’s Multi-Differential agar (LMDA), and other media.
  • Use of Petri film tests (aerobic plate counts, yeast & mold, etc.) for packaged and packaging surfaces.
  • Chemistry & quality metrics including fermentation gravity, yeast viability, color, IBU, dissolved oxygen, pH, real vs apparent extract, haze/clarity, etc.
  • Fill height verification, can-seam inspection, and container packaging integrity checks.

The Cons Of Not Choosing A Production Partner With A cGMP Certification

Choosing a non-certified partner introduces risks that can affect your brand’s safety, scalability, and shelf performance. Without cGMP certification, breweries may lack the formalized controls and oversight required to consistently produce safe, high-quality beverages:

  • No certification to validate quality or compliance standards
  • Higher risk of inconsistency, contamination, or spoilage at scale
  • Flavor drift that weakens brand identity and consumer trust
  • Limited shelf life that restricts growth into new markets
  • Compliance vulnerabilities that create legal and financial risk

Why Abita Is The Preferred Quality Assurance Partner

interior of a beverage manufacturing facility that has a cGMP certification, with bottles stacked to the ceiling on palettes

When you partner with Abita, you get more than just a brewery; you gain a trusted, certified quality partner. Our Superior cGMP audit rating from ASI Food Safety, robust in-house testing, state-of-the-art lab, four decades of brewing expertise, and proven quality assurance systems enable your brand to scale with confidence.

You don’t need to build complex QA infrastructure from scratch. Abita’s systems are already in place and optimized. That means less risk, better consistency, and more ability for your team to focus on what matters: your product, your branding, and your market growth.

Abita Brewing Company ensures that your beer brand isn’t just produced at scale; it’s produced with precision, consistency, and quality that builds loyalty and growth.

Connect with Abita

Check us out @abitabeer