Musically inspired

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Beck’s beer brand partnered with eight musical artists for its annual “Live Beyond Labels” promotion, which began in July. Aloe Blacc, Capital Cities, Luis Fonsi, DJ Irie, Typoe, Maluca Mala, Ron Finley and Camille Rose Garcia worked with the brand to develop new beer labels. “‘Live Beyond Labels’ participants tend to be drawn to the idea of reaching millions of people in an entirely new way,” said Ryan Garcia, vice president of regional marketing for the brand, in a statement. “The size of their audience and their creative focus differs from artist to artist, but they all share an independent streak — a fearlessness Beck’s admires.” Every year for the past 27 years, Beck’s beer commissions original artwork for the summer-long “Live Beyond Labels” series. The brand replaces its traditional labels with original designs from both emerging and established artists to celebrate the fact that design is everywhere, the company says.

Renamed and repackaged

Red Jacket Orchards changed the name of its New York-style lemonade from Joe’s Summer Blend to Joe’s NY Style Lemonade. Supporting the new name, the packaging showcases the brand name inside a bright apple graphic and features a leaf attached to the apple’s stem for the branding as well. Although the product’s name and packaging have changed, the company notes that the product inside remains the same.

Getting closure

Polar Beverages announced that all of its carbonated beverage lines will adopt Closure Systems International’s (CSI) lightweight, one-piece Omni mini XP 28-mm linerless closures. The closures deliver superior application and product performance for sparkling beverages while reducing total cost of operations and enhancing environmental sustainability, the company says. In particular, a closure weighs less than 2 grams and is made from recyclable polyethylene resin. Its seal design also ensures leading carbon dioxide performance across a wide range of conditions, it adds.

More Moscato

After using consumer feedback to determine the next Myx Fusions Moscato flavor, Myx Beverage LLC also gave consumers what they asked for in terms of packaging. The new 375-ml Myx Fusions Moscato & Mango variety is twice the size of the original product and also features a new logo-embossed signature cobalt blue bottle. “By doubling the size and offering a new flavor, we are meeting demand and hopefully deepening consumer loyalty,” said Myx Beverages LLC Chief Marketing Officer Mona Scott-Young in a statement. In addition to the new Mango flavor, the original and Peach-flavored Myx Fusions Moscatos now are available in the 375-ml size.

Celebrating 450 years

Coinciding with its 450th anniversary, Nestlé Waters’ Acqua Panna brand underwent a global redesign to better showcase its Tuscan heritage. Designed by Cartils, the bottle labels retain their orange accent colors to ensure that the brand still is recognizable to consumers and also to connect to the Tuscan landscape, the company says. Imagery on the labels also depicts the water’s origin. The redesigned Acqua Panna bottles will be available by the end of this year in 500-ml and 1-liter glass and PET bottles in restaurants, hotels and bars.

Corona enters the ring

Constellation Brands Beer Division unveiled the 2014 limited-edition boxing bottles for its Corona Extra brand. These specially wrapped promotional bottles are included in the Corona Extra 18-pack and feature the image, statistics and signature of the following six Golden Boy boxers: Danny Garcia, Marcos Maidana, Adrien Broner, Paulie Malignaggi, Daniel Ponce de Leon and Leo Santa Cruz. Each champion selected has a multicultural appeal and is a favorite of boxing and Corona fans, the company says. The Corona Extra limited-edition boxing bottles will be available at retail through Oct. 31. This is the second year that Corona Extra has featured Golden Boy boxers on its 18-pack bottles. 

A ‘Sleek’ expansion

After offering its line of carbonated soft drinks exclusively in glass bottles for seven years, Q Drinks now is expanding the beverages into Rexam’s aluminum Sleek cans. “For years, our spectacular sodas have only been available in glass bottles and carried by the finest restaurants and stores in America … but Rexam’s 12-ounce Sleek cans let us offer our sodas at a lower price — $5.99 for a four-pack and $1.49 for a single can — and thereby enable many more people to enjoy them,” said Q Drinks Founder Jordan Silbert in a statement. The new packaging format also offers portability, durability and sustainability benefits, the company notes. Q Drinks currently are available in 12-ounce Sleek cans at Wegmans, Sprouts, Fred Meyer, Big Y and Earth Fare retailers nationwide. They also are available on amazon.com and are being tested at Target stores, with plans to reach other retailers shortly, the company says.

Watercolors for Waterkeeper

 This month, Fonseca released the 2014 Limited Edition BIN 27 Erik Parker Artist Series, a reserve Port wine packaged in a gift box featuring Parker’s water-inspired art. The packaging highlights Fonseca BIN 27’s support of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit organization that connects and supports local Waterkeeper programs to provide a voice for waterways and their communities. For centuries, the Port industry has relied on the Douro River to carry their Port wines from the vineyards to the coastal town of Vila Nova de Gaia. “Thanks to Fonseca’s contribution through the Erik Parker Artist Series, the Waterkeeper program is able to help preserve the health of more than 220 rivers around the world,” said Marc Yaggi, executive director of the organization, in a statement. In 2012, Fonseca introduced the first BIN 27 Artist Series, featuring the work of the late Portuguese graphic designer Sebastião Rodrigues. In 2013, the Alliance was able to bring 225 educational programs to local communities because of BIN 27’s support. The third edition with Parker reflects the brand’s continued commitment to issues that affect waterways, from pollution to climate change, it says.