O-I wishes to toast Australia’s talented craft beer makers - and as Australia’s largest glass bottle and jar manufacturer - help them serve Australia and Asia.
We’ve produced a special bottle - The Provider - to which you can add your own labels and beer, and take advantage of a growing market.
This specially commissioned bottle, created by the students at Auckland’s Unitec Institute of Technology, is designed to reflect Kiwi innovation and the Asian drinking culture of sharing.
And at 888ml, 518ml and 328ml, these numbers are thought to be lucky in Asia too.
It’s not only Australia that has a passion for craft beer. Asia has also developed a taste for these brews with more flavour and personality. And with 11 major countries in the region having a projected combined population of over 3 billion in 2017, it’s an unmissable opportunity for Aussie craft beer producers
Unitec design academic Dr Cris de Groot said the original brief also presented the challenge of this design being an 'industry' bottle – glass packaging that is brand agnostic - enabling any craft brewery to fill it with their product and apply their labels. As part of the students' research, some set up online forums, chatting with potential consumers in China and South Korea to help shape the design, de Groot said.
The heel of the bottle has embossed text stating "Crafted in Australia", and the bottle's neck offers consumers the opportunity of enjoying their ale from a vessel with a unique volume of 888ml. Beer in Asia is sold mainly in larger vessels as drinking is a social occasion, where the host will pour the guests glasses using both hands and keep them filled.
In Chinese the number 888 is considered "very lucky / triple fortune".
We love glass. It starts life as sand, goes through fire and then magically becomes a natural, beautiful material that’s kind to the environment.
And we’re just as passionate about the innovative products that our glass contains, which is why we’re making a considerable investment to produce the Provider bottle and enable Aussie craft beer makers to showcase their wonderful talents in Asia.
O-I is making it easy for Australian craft beer producers to sell their world class products.
We’ve created the bottles and together we have the know-how to help you start marketing your beer across Australia and export to Asia.
We are currently exploring the opportunity for the Provider range and require customer and industry support to make these industry containers.
You’ve done the hard part - you’ve produced a craft beer that is being enjoyed throughout Australia
We think your product deserves a bigger stage, so as well as providing you with the bottle to take your craft beer to Asia, we’ve also got together a number of influential and knowledgeable partners to help you expand your business