Cider brand looks to glass for an image upgrade

Founded in 1972, Indiana-based Oliver Winery is one of the largest winemakers in the Eastern United States.

They began making cider in the mid-1980s and, until recently, distributed their BeanBlossom Hard Cider in single-serve aluminium containers. When looking to differentiate the cider in an increasingly competitive category, the winery approached Owens-Illinois (O-I) to assist with relaunching the cider in a shareable 750 ml glass bottle.

According to owner Bill Oliver, the large glass format gives the BeanBlossom brand a premium image and enables consumers to fully appreciate its flavour. The glass bottle helps BeanBlossom stand out from other mainstream hard ciders sold in single-serve multi-packs, by creating a shareable, sensory experience similar to wine.

“When you sit down with a friend and pour a glass of cider from our 750 ml bottle, you’re able to enjoy the product in a way that you don’t necessarily get when you drink directly from a single-serve container,” said Oliver. “The experience is more like drinking wine - you get to appreciate the colour and aroma of the cider, which enriches the taste.”

The new glass packaging also gave Oliver Winery a chance to enhance BeanBlossom’s branding and artwork, created through a longstanding partnership with artist Kevin Pope. Pope’s work on the brand features fictional characters evoking the culture of nearby Beanblossom, Indiana. The many decoration and label options possible with glass freed Pope to add depth and texture to the artwork in ways that he couldn’t achieve on aluminium.

“The relaunch of BeanBlossom Hard Cider in glass afforded me the opportunity to give the iconic imagery and unique characters new life in a way that reflects the nostalgic feel of the cider’s labels, the bottles and, of course, the product itself,” Pope said