New drinks review: intelligent design
Published:24-April-2006
By BR staff writer
A range of innovatively-designed packages have been reported by Productscan Online this month. Boisset America has presented a range of French wines in a Tetra Pak that almosr resembles a juice carton, while ShotPak packages its liqueurs in a tiny plastic pouch. Meanwhile, Coors has come up with a new way to keep beer cooler for longer, utilizing a label that stops hands from warming the beer...
Boisset America has introduced a wine presented in novel fashion in the US and Canada. French Rabbit Wine comes in a Tetra Pak prism, or ePod, which is touted as the first time in North America that a premium French wine has been presented in this type of packaging. The company states the package, which looks like a juice carton more than a wine vessel, is a more environmentally friendly way of storing wine. The new package is said to hold a third more liquid than traditional wine bottles, costs less to handle and can be flattened into the recycling bin. Although Boisset America is the first to release this type of packaged wine, more wineries are expected to follow with their own version as they strive to cut costs.
Another unusually-presented alcoholic drink has been introduced onto the US market by ShotPak. The eponymous product features a single shot of flavored liqueur contained in a plastic pouch. The company states the ShotPak was developed to target people who are engaged in an active lifestyle and are on the go. It is especially targeting frequent fliers, claiming the product is lighter than a 50 ml airplane bottle and more convenient to carry.
Staying with the alcohol theme, Carlsberg has targeted the at-home drinker with its DraughtMaster Plastic Keg. Available in Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, the keg is touted as offering consumers the opportunity to enjoy a quality draught beer at home, served directly from the tap. The DraughtMaster is filled with ready-to-drink beer using a process that bars oxygen from entering the keg; this is said to prevent the beer from going off, retaining its freshness for longer. With western consumers increasingly keen to trade up to better quality products, the timing couldn't be better for a product that offers a higher quality beer experience at home.
Carlsberg rival Coors has also launched an innovatively presented beer in the US. The Coors Light Cold Wrap Beer is said to stay colder for longer by keeping the heat from the consumers' hand away from the bottle. It does this through its label; the label on the beer utilizes Outlast technology, a material used to regulate temperature and more usually found in outdoor gear and ski apparel.
Meanwhile, Glanbia has rolled out a new range of shot-size functional yogurt drinks in Ireland called Yoplait Essence, after spending two years researching the product. The company says that the range of functional drinks provide specific health benefits to consumers, and are designed to meet the health concerns of an aging Irish population.
Nippon Dairy Community has launched a different type of dairy product in Japan. Its Megmilk drinking milk is said to have a better flavor than conventional milk as it utilizes a low-temperature de-aeration process, which removes oxygen and therefore prevents oxidation. The carton is also said to protect the milk from heat and light which can damage its flavor, by using a special type of ink. The low-temperature de-aeration process appears to be new for the milk category and offers an opportunity to lengthen the life of milk; Megmilk has a refrigerated storage life of 13 days.
