O-I wishes to toast New Zealand’s talented Kiwi craft beer makers - and as New Zealand’s only glass bottle and jar manufacturer - help them serve Asia.
We’ve produced a special bottle - The Provider - to which you can add your own labels and beer, and take advantage of a market that’s hundreds of times bigger than ours.
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
An innovative redesign of the humble beer bottle by Unitec students for O-I New Zealand is currently being produced at a commercial scale for exports headed to China and Hong Kong.
The country's largest institute of technology, Unitec, was last year approached by the world's leading glass bottle manufacturer, O-I to design a new industry bottle specifically aimed at the export of New Zealand craft beers to Asian markets.
"It's not only New Zealand 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, it's an unmissable opportunity for Kiwi 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 New Zealand", 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".
It’s not only New Zealand 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 2015, it’s an unmissable opportunity for Kiwi craft beer producers.
Together with our partners, we’ve identified five areas in particular - China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore - whose population, income per capita and growing appetite for craft beer make them perfect places to serve Kiwi products from the Provider bottle.
O-I invited the students at Auckland’s Unitec Institute of Technology to design a bottle that captures the essence of New Zealand as well appeals to Asian craft beer drinkers, for whom sharing is a key part of their drinking experience.
The impressive Provider was the chosen design, a bottle which communicates a number of themes: the suggestion of nature, the use of stars for navigation (Southern Cross) and echoes of the iconic hand-crafted ceramic trading bottle. It’s a bottle with a premium look that will have stand out on the shelf, making it perfect for carrying the labels of New Zealand’s finest craft beers.
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 Kiwi craft beer makers to showcase their wonderful talents in Asia.
You’ve done the hard part - you’ve produced a craft beer that is being enjoyed throughout New Zealand.
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.