Vendome Copper
Vendome Copper & Brass Works is a fourth-generation, family-owned custom metal fabricator in Louisville, Kentucky, building copper stills, stainless steel tanks, pressure vessels, and heat exchangers for distilleries, breweries, and chemical, pharmaceutical, and food processors worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1900
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Vendome Copper does
Vendome Copper & Brass Works, Inc. is a privately held, fourth-generation family-owned custom metal fabricator headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, founded in the early 1900s by Elmore Sherman Sr. The company designs and fabricates bespoke copper and stainless steel processing equipment — including pot stills, column stills, doublers, heat exchangers, pressure vessels (ASME code), and tanks up to 200,000 gallons — for the spirits, brewing, chemical, pharmaceutical, dairy, and food/confectionery industries. Industry sources claim more than 95% of American whiskey production flows through Vendome equipment, with a customer roster spanning Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, Heaven Hill, Jack Daniel's, Woodford Reserve, Four Roses, Bulleit, Old Forester, and dozens of craft distilleries.
The underlying technology is rooted in specialized copper and stainless steel fabrication: precision welding, machining, and assembly of pressure vessels, heat exchangers, and custom tanks, executed by long-tenured craftsmen. In October 2024 the company opened a new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at the Ormsby site in Louisville dedicated to stainless steel tank fabrication, expanding in-shop capacity to 50,000 gallons and on-site fabrication capacity to 200,000 gallons.
Commercially, Vendome operates a direct enterprise sales model: custom equipment is quote-based with lead times of 5–24 weeks, sold as one-time capital purchases with no disclosed recurring maintenance contracts at scale. A secondary revenue stream includes replacement parts and branded merchandise through a company-operated e-commerce shop, plus on-site field services for fabrication, repair, and maintenance. Distribution is direct — no intermediaries — with global reach evidenced by installations in Canada, Ireland, and Lebanon. The company is privately held, has no disclosed institutional investors or parent, and reports no financial figures.
Vendome Copper firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vendome Copper
- Legal name
- Vendome Copper & Brass Works, Inc.
- Website
- https://vendomecopper.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1900
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Vendome Copper & Brass Works is a fourth-generation, family-owned custom metal fabricator in Louisville, Kentucky, building copper stills, stainless steel tanks, pressure vessels, and heat exchangers for distilleries, breweries, and chemical, pharmaceutical, and food processors worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vendome Copper industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Distillation and Process Equipment Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Machine Shops (332710)
- SIC
- Sheet Metal Work (3444), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping) (IMAHADAC)
Keywords
Where Vendome Copper is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Vendome Copper business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Equipment Fabrication: Design and fabrication of custom copper and stainless steel processing equipment including distillation systems, tanks, pressure vessels, and heat exchangers sold as one-time capital equipment purchases to distilleries and industrial customers
- Parts and Accessories: Sale of replacement parts, components, and small equipment accessories through e-commerce shop
- Field Services: On-site fabrication, repair, and maintenance services for existing equipment
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Equipment - Quote Based |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Vendome Copper product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vendome Copper & Brass Works is a custom metal fabricator that designs, manufactures, and installs copper and stainless steel processing equipment for distilleries, breweries, chemical processors, pharmaceutical and dairy producers, and food/confectionery operations. Its portfolio spans pot stills, column stills, vodka systems, skid-mounted systems, stainless steel tanks up to 200,000 gallons, heat exchangers, and ASME-code pressure vessels, complemented by on-site field fabrication, repair, and maintenance services.
Product overview
Vendome Copper & Brass Works is a custom equipment manufacturer specializing in distillation equipment and stainless steel tank fabrication. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products including distillation systems (batch, continuous, vodka, and skid-mounted), stainless steel tanks (up to 200,000 gallons), brewing equipment, chemical equipment, food/pharma processing equipment, and turnkey canning systems. Founded in the early 1900s and family-owned for four generations, the company operates a new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and provides end-to-end solutions from concept to installation with field services including on-site fabrication, repair, and maintenance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Distillation Equipment Custom-fabricated copper and stainless steel distillation systems including batch pot stills, continuous columns, large continuous columns, vodka distillation systems, and skid-mounted systems used by distillers worldwide to produce bourbon, rum, gin, vodka, and other spirits.
- Stainless Steel Tank Fabrication Custom-fabricated stainless steel tanks manufactured in-shop up to 50,000 gallons or on-site up to 200,000 gallons, including ASME code pressure vessels for distilleries, breweries, chemical, food, pharmaceutical, and dairy applications.
- Brewing Equipment Custom fabricated copper or stainless steel brewing equipment such as fermenters, mash tuns, and conditioning tanks for large commercial breweries.
- Chemical Equipment Custom-fabricated chemical processing equipment including reactors, heat exchangers, and pressure vessels designed for corrosion-resistant chemical processing environments.
- Food and Confectionery Equipment Custom-fabricated food-grade kettles, cookers, pots, coils, and small tanks meeting FDA sanitation standards for food and confectionery production.
- Pharmaceutical and Dairy Equipment Food-grade vessels and processing equipment adhering to FDA sanitation standards and other regulatory body requirements for pharmaceutical and dairy applications.
- Turnkey Canning System Complete turnkey canning system solutions for beverage packaging, delivered as integrated systems for distilleries and beverage producers.
- Field Services On-site fabrication, repair, and maintenance services for existing Vendome and customer equipment, including on-site tank fabrication up to 200,000 gallons and a 0-day field service response time.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 95% of American whiskey production flows through Vendome equipment
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Vendome Copper
Customer profileNamed customers64 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Vendome Copper technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Vendome Copper partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Vendome Copper competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Forsyths: Scottish heritage coppersmith fabricating custom copper pot stills and distillation equipment for the global whisky and spirits industry. Closest direct peer to Vendome in copper distillation craftsmanship, competing head-to-head for premium bourbon, Scotch, and Irish whiskey projects.
- Christian Carl GmbH: German manufacturer of custom copper pot stills and distillation columns serving distilleries worldwide. Comparable in product scope (custom copper distillation systems for spirits) and customer segment (craft and premium spirits producers), making it one of Vendome's closest international peers.
- Specific Engineering Contractors: Indian fabricator of distillation equipment, brewhouses, and process vessels serving distilleries and breweries globally. Comparable on the process-equipment fabrication side serving similar end customers in spirits and brewing, though at typically lower price points and broader product scope.
- Kothe Destillationstechnik: German engineering firm specializing in distillation columns and process technology for spirits, ethanol, and chemical industries. Comparable as a custom-engineering fabricator of distillation and processing equipment for overlapping end markets, though with a stronger process-engineering/engineering-services tilt.
- Paul Mueller Company: US-based (Springfield, MO) stainless steel tank and process equipment fabricator serving brewing, dairy, food, and industrial customers. Direct peer in custom stainless tank fabrication (up to large volumes) with overlapping customer segments in brewing, dairy, and food processing.
- DCI Inc (Dairy Consultants Inc): US stainless steel process equipment manufacturer focused on dairy, food, beverage, and pharmaceutical sanitary processing tanks and components. Comparable in custom stainless fabrication serving FDA-grade dairy and food verticals that overlap with Vendome's pharma/dairy segment.
- Apache Stainless Equipment: US fabricator of custom stainless steel tanks, vessels, and process equipment for food, dairy, brewing, and chemical applications. Direct peer in mid-market custom stainless fabrication with overlapping customer use cases in food, beverage, and chemical processing.
Broad incumbents
- GEA Group: Global process technology supplier offering separators, homogenizers, brewing systems, and process equipment across dairy, food, beverage, and chemical industries. Competes with Vendome for large brewing, dairy, and chemical processing contracts but at much broader scale and with standardized product offerings.
- Alfa Laval: Global supplier of heat exchangers, separation equipment, and fluid handling systems serving food, dairy, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Overlaps with Vendome's heat exchanger and process vessel offerings but operates as a broad, multi-industry incumbent with much larger scale.
Emerging players
- Maurer-Atemschutz / Holstein & Kappert (H&K): European brewers' equipment and process technology providers serving brewery, beverage, and adjacent process industries. Comparable in fermentation and process vessel fabrication for brewing and beverage end-markets that overlap with Vendome's brewing equipment segment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Vendome Copper social profiles
Digital presenceVendome Copper financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vendome Copper leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Vendome Copper funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vendome Copper M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vendome Copper
What does Vendome Copper do?
Vendome Copper & Brass Works is a custom metal fabricator that designs, manufactures, and installs copper and stainless steel processing equipment for distilleries, breweries, chemical processors, pharmaceutical and dairy producers, and food/confectionery operations. Its portfolio spans pot stills, column stills, vodka systems, skid-mounted systems, stainless steel tanks up to 200,000 gallons, heat exchangers, and ASME-code pressure vessels, complemented by on-site field fabrication, repair, and maintenance services.
Is Vendome Copper a public or private company?
Vendome Copper is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Vendome Copper founded?
Vendome Copper was founded in 1900. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Vendome Copper based?
Vendome Copper is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Vendome Copper make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Equipment Fabrication is the primary driver. The others are parts and Accessories and field Services.
Who are Vendome Copper's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Forsyths, Christian Carl GmbH, Specific Engineering Contractors, Kothe Destillationstechnik, Paul Mueller Company, DCI Inc (Dairy Consultants Inc) and Apache Stainless Equipment. Broad incumbents are GEA Group and Alfa Laval. Maurer-Atemschutz / Holstein & Kappert (H&K) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Vendome Copper have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vendome Copper.
What industry is Vendome Copper in?
Vendome Copper's product category is Custom Distillation and Process Equipment Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHADAC, Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping). Its NAICS code is 332710 and its SIC code is 3444.