After a brief discussion last week about wine packaging, I was curious to learn more about what the latest trends are besides clean and simple label design. I found the story of Oregon-based Union Wine Co. to be compelling and fun.
As many of us shared in our first week posts, wine can be intimidating and pretentious, adjectives rarely used to describe beer. Wine isn't nearly as portable, requiring a corkscrew and glasses, so beer has traditionally been more popular for picnics, hikes, camping.
Union Wine Co. was founded out of a simple desire: "we wanted to find a way to bring wine with us when we are backpacking," says founder Ryan Harms. In 2014 he started selling wine in cans. The company, which had previously used traditional packaging, decided canned wine could be a way to make drinking wine less complicated. Says Harms, "Maybe the wine industry needs to beerify a little bit. I'm always envious of how the beer industry creates a casual, comfortable relationship with the product, so consumers aren't worried about whether they're holding the glass correctly, smelling it right, or generally looking like they know what they are doing."
There's obviously more that can be done to make wine feel accessible and make the wine drinking experience more casual, but Union Wine Co. has found a fun way in its packaging to do just that. They're not the only ones: sales of canned wines have more than doubled in the last year to $14.5M in 2016.
It's unclear if this is just a passing trend or if cans are here to stay, though most wine sellers agree on one thing: "You can get someone to buy it once on the cool, innovative packaging, but then quality has got to be in the can or the bottle or whatever you're doing to get them to come back again."
You can see more on the latest in wine packaging at this design blog: http://www.thedieline.com/wine-champagne-packaging/
http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Would-You-Pop-Open-Up-Can-of-Pinot
http://winefolly.com/update/the-lowdown-on-wine-in-a-can/
http://unionwinecompany.com/our-wines/underwood/can/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is fascinating, and reminded me of a company the disruptive team at ABInBev acquired while I was working there this summer. It is called Electric Sky, and in spite of company-wide protestations, is a wine product (making it the first non-beer acquisition at ABInBev).
ReplyDeleteThe product is a stackable pre-filled wine cup, and the thesis was that it would play in beer occasions like music festivals and sports events. Objectively, the wine was swill (I'm optimistic that it's improved!). However, it might challenge the idea that the "quality has got to be in the can (or in this case, crappy extruded plastic stackable cup apparatus)...to get them to come back again". Here, the packaging actually brought wine to a setting where it wasn't before and where people don't necessarily drink for quality.
For inquiring minds: http://www.electricskywine.com/
I saw wine in cans at K&L a few months ago! I agree that it's a really interesting strategy, but given so much of the consumer purchasing decision is around signaling, I wonder if this will only appeal to the franzia demographic. Also, word to the wise, 2 cans is roughly a bottle of wine...so drink carefully!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this. I bought some wine in a little carton to go on a picnic down in Southern California this summer and was made fun of it and was told it was bad wine when we were on the picnic and that I should "go back to college" with my boxed wine. I actually thought it was pretty good... especially for the price! A little irked, I then made my friends try it again another time (without showing them where it came from this time!) and they liked it. Anyway-- goes to show you, the signaling of a wine's packaging really does mean a lot and can definitely change somebody's perception of the same product.
DeleteThis is a great comparison. In a Public Speaking class at the GSB last quarter, a classmate told a story about how she celebrates large, life accomplishments with champagne. In addition to that being a tradition I think we could all get behind, she enhanced her presentation by sharing champagne with each of our classmates. Correction- she shared 'sparkling wine' in a can.
ReplyDeleteIf I recall correctly, she brought Sofia by Francis Ford Coppola. The wine was surprisingly good and did not have a canned, metallic taste as I expected. It was great because everyone had their own can that they could enjoy then, or at their own convenience.
This is a fun trend and I'm excited by similar innovations!
We served wine in cans at our wedding reception 10 years ago. The wine was great and it was a fun/interesting/convenient experience for our guests. I am glad to see this innovation making a come back. Hopefully, it gains more traction this time round.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this concept and have been regularly buying canned Underwood Pinot Gris from Trader Joe's for BBQs and tailgates because I don't drink beer, but sometimes feel judged for drinking wine at super casual events. Though the idea of cracking open a can of Zin sounds blasphemous and is likely detrimental to its taste, it is so darn convenient and I could see this really catching on in an industry where looks matter and Millenial consumers are becoming more and more powerful.
ReplyDelete