On the surface, brewery packaging might seem pretty straightforward. Walk into any convenience store and you’ll find hundreds of six-packs housed in similar packaging. As a brewer, how can you differentiate – both from a marketing and a business perspective – other than design?
The right packaging strategy can help your microbrews stand out, sell more, and even cost less to produce. To that end, here are three packaging considerations for breweries.
1. Unique Designs Can Cut Costs
One of our brewery customers needed to package 12-pack cans, but they didn’t have the in-house gluing capability to close their cartons. We helped by developing a unique closure that snapped together, no glue required.
The packaging technology not only provided a unique aesthetic that helped the carton stand out, but it also eliminated a step in the production process, providing flexibility with filling, and ultimately saving our customer money.
2. Switch to Sustainable Packaging
Many microbreweries use plastic 6-pack rings, but plastic isn’t eco-friendly. Indeed, most plastic is one-time use at a time when single use plastics are facing statewide bans.
Sustainable packaging is often more cost-effective than plastic. Moreover, eco-friendly packaging becomes part of your brand, especially if your brewery promotes its use of natural ingredients or caters to a new audience with THC-infused seltzers.
If you want to differentiate your brewery and promote corporate social responsibility, consider beer cartons constructed from recyclable materials and choose packaging partners who adhere to sustainable production processes. Sustainable options are available for virtually every type of packaging, including 4-, 6-, and 12-pack boxes, beer trays, and 6-pack bottle carriers.
3. Choose the Right Materials
It’s also important to choose the right materials for your microbrew packaging. Excellent beer carton materials are:
- Strong enough to hold heavy bottles and cans
- Moisture-friendly so cooler condensation won’t weaken the packaging
- Designed for enhanced printability for high quality designs
- Eco-friendly
- Cost effective
How to Overcome Common Brewery Packaging Challenges
Specialty brewers and small microbreweries face unique packaging challenges because many vendors either aren’t willing to run low quantities or limit options for low quantity runs. That’s why it’s so important to work with the right packaging partner.
Great brewery packaging partners are happy to do short runs, offer rapid turnaround times, and even offer CAD and mockup capabilities. Strategic partners like these provide an end-to-end solution, enabling you to develop unique, on-brand packaging without the expense of a full-service marketing agency.
Larger, more established brewers should likewise seek experienced packaging partners who can lower their net unit prices and identify other cost-savings strategies. For example, some offer inventory management programs that enable quicker turnarounds, and free up inventory, manufacturing space, and cash.
Brewery packaging might seem straightforward, but a lot goes into developing solutions that create competitive advantages on convenience store shelves. The good news is you don’t have to go it alone. An experienced packaging partner can offer the guidance and support needed to craft unique packaging that makes your beer attractive, communicates your brand story, and protects your brew during transport.
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