New Packages

Aluminum cans dominate beverage packaging

Boston Beer Co. releases Angry Orchard Green Apple in cans

A new identity

Cab.Corp. announced new packaging and a new name for its La Playa Block Selection Reserves. The new name, Tinga, will assist in better segmenting its three tiers: La Playa Estate Series, Tinga Block Selection Reserve and Axel wines, the company says. The packaging features a traditional stone carving of the ancient symbol of water along with a spot-gloss varnish over the Tinga logo for starker contrast, it adds. Additionally, the varietal is clearly written on each label. The total set includes seven different varietals including: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenere, Pinot Noir, Claret Red Blend, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. All varietals use a claret Bordeaux bottle except for the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which are bottled in burgundy. Each wine has custom screwcap closures with matching color scheme and water drops from the main emblem. In order to truly segment their tiers, La Playa is mentioned only on the back label, the company says.

Getting canned

Novelis and Southbound Brewing Co. announced that the craft brewery now offers its beer in aluminum cans made from Novelis’ evercan, the certified high-recycled content aluminum can sheet. Southbound now packages its year-round brews, Hop’lin IPA and Scattered Sun Belgian Wit, in the evercan. Both brews are available on store shelves in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Novelis’ evercan is made by recycling used beverage cans and contains a minimum
90 percent certified recycled content.

Mustachioed packaging

Moustache Coffee Club, an online coffee subscription service recently released new packaging design for its coffee products. The new design features a white background with black printed images of coffee cups and carafes along with its signature moustache logos that is sleek and modern looking, the company says. The packaging offers locking plastic seals that help keep the coffee fresher longer.

Just one cup

Trücup low-acid coffee launched its coffees in the single-serve marketplace. Now available in single-serve pods, medium and bold roasts, trücup can be a solution for the 60 million people in the United States affected by acid reflux and other gastrointestinal issues, the company says. Although most low-acid coffee companies over- roast their beans to remove the acid or buy their beans from low-acid growing regions around the world, trücup uses a patented natural, steam and water process, it states. The new product offerings are available through amazon.com.

Happy anniversary

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Saint James brand, one of the oldest Rhum Agricole in the world with the plantations first producing rum in 1765, the company says. To celebrate this milestone, Saint James created a special commemorative bottling aptly named Saint James Cuvée 1765. The commemorative bottle is a blend created in homage to the original 1765 style. During the week of July 6-12, which traditionally marks the end of the sugar harvest, the company celebrated the 250th anniversary with celebrations in Martinique. The program included distillery tours, masterclasses and tastings, and a live show culminating in the release of a commemorative limited-edition 250th anniversary carafe: an ultra-premium blend of six of the best Saint James vintages, including the 1885, presented in a glass flagon with embossed metal neck. To pay full tribute to Saint James’ history, other festivities will take place across the world including an anniversary party in Paris, multi-media advertising campaigns and point-of-sale promotions.

Bottle for a cause

This year’s RumChata Freedom Bottle program generated $151,245 for the Lone Survivor Foundation (LSF). RumChata’s limited-time collection of red, white and blue logoed bottles were on shelves from Memorial Day through the Fourth of July. Each bottle sold supported LSF. In conjunction with the program, the the RumChata Foundation donated $5 for every post on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #RumChata4LSF. The more than 1,800 social media posts doubled last year’s participation, the company says. In addition, RumChata’s Massachusetts distributor Horizon Beverage donated $10,000 directly to LSF.

Canned apples

The cider makers at Angry Orchard Cider Co., a brand of The Boston Beer Co., released Angry Orchard Green Apple in 16-ounce cans. Angry Orchard Green Apple hard cider has a bright, fresh apple flavor, with notes of sweet honeydew melon and kiwi that balance the apple’s tartness, the company says. Green Apple, along with Angry Orchard Hop’n Mad Apple and Angry Orchard seasonal ciders, is made with American culinary apples, the company says.

Changing things up

Galena Brewing Co. expanded its packaging lineup to include three beers in Rexam 16-ounce cans — Anna Belle’s IPA, a ruby beer with a burst of hop flavors and aromas paired with a malt backbone; Farmer’s Blonde Ale, a light ale; and Fevre River Ale Hefeweizen, a classic Bavarian style wheat beer with a medium to heavy mouth feel, the company says. After retailing exclusively in glass bottles, Galena Brewing Co. chose to add cans because of the many inherent benefits they deliver, it adds. Galena Brewing Co.’s beers in Rexam cans are available at select retailers in Illinois and Iowa.

Thinking green

To make its beers more accessible to consumers, Meadowlark Brewing has expanded into Rexam 12-ounce cans. Two of its core brews — Badlands Extra Pale Ale and Ole Gus Scotch Rye Wee Heavy — are available for the first time in single-serve packaging. Meadowlark chose cans because of the many inherent benefits they deliver, it says. Meadowlark Brewing’s beers in Rexam cans are available at select retailers in North Dakota and Montana.

Sustainable packaging

Marley Coffee announced the first official retail shipment of the new recyclable EcoCup, an easy-to-recycle single-serve capsule that’s compatible with most Keurig K-Cup machines. The recyclable EcoCup directly addresses consumer frustration with a lack of recyclable options in the single-serve capsule space, offering premium coffee in a sustainable format that will dramatically reduce the amount of waste in comparison to that produced by traditional capsules, the company says. Marley Coffee’s recyclable EcoCup capsules are easy to recycle: peel off the lid of the pod, compost the grounds, discard the lid and filter, and recycle the outer cup. With the introduction of the recyclable EcoCup, all current Marley Coffee RealCup single-serve capsules will begin transitioning to the new recyclable EcoCup format in the new refreshed packaging. “Marley Coffee was created to bring people together to share in our family’s values of love, passion and social responsibility,” said Rohan Marley, founder of Marley Coffee, in a statement. “Our recyclable EcoCup will provide consumers with a delicious, organic and sustainable coffee that is truly accessible. I am proud of the new packaging, which calls out both the recyclability of the capsules and also our sustainability initiative, the Water Wise Coffee Project. By supporting EcoCup, consumers are not only helping to reduce waste, but also contributing one cent of every single-serve capsule sold to improving water quality in regions affected by coffee production. We’re proud to bring this new sustainable solution to market, and are looking forward to the global impact that we can make in reducing waste.”