Putting a twist on beer packaging

Gage Roads Brewing Co has partnered with glass packaging maker O-I to launch the first application of internal embossing in Australia. The product has shown good results in the US already, where Miller Light has used the unique packaging technique to boost the market share, by around 6%, of it’s previously declining sales brand beer. Gage Roads Brewing Co is hoping for the same type of success for its award-winning beer and to help secure its place as a strong contender in the Australian beer market.

The unique internal embossing technology enables grooves on the inside of bottles, creating a distinctive decoration while providing a smooth exterior for easy labelling.

“When you consider consumer purchasing behaviours within bottle shops, it’s easy to appreciate the importance of capturing their attention and standing out from the retail noise,” said Gage Roads Brewing Co’s CEO, Nick Hayler.

“The bottle is both innovative and fun in its design and stylishly distinctive - Both the bottle and the beer go well together,” said Hayler.

The Gage Roads Wahoo Vortex bottle was designed in Melbourne and will be manufactured at O-I’s Sydney plant. O-I says a number of other designs are available and can be incorporated in both the neck and body of the bottle and, no, it’s not just for beer.

Hayler says the company knows their product is great as the company has already won a number of awards but this has so far had no impact on sales. By using this unique packaging, he is predicting this will change. “Get the packaging right, you get the product right,” he says.

“This is one of the biggest packaging innovations we’ve seen in the beer market in decades. It comes at a time when Australian beer brands face stiff competition and are looking for ways to differentiate their products in a crowded marketplace,” said O-I Asia Pacific’s General Manager of Marketing and Sales, Jacqueline Moth.

“For Gage Roads the O-I Vortex bottle provides the opportunity to represent our product in a way that reflects the unique, subtle qualities of our batch-brewed beer,” said Hayler.