UK drinks company updates cider bottle
contemporary presentation to give the Thatchers Single Variety
Cider range fresh impact in the cider market.
In the UK, Rockware Glass has created a sleek new bottle shape and contemporary presentation to give the Thatchers Single Variety Cider range fresh impact in the cider market.
The range of six single varieties - Coxs, Katy, Tremletts, Falstaff, Redstreak and Spartan - has been repackaged in an effort to strengthen its appeal to the consumer.
Rockware's brief from Thatchers was to update the existing 500ml bottle, which had a traditional shape. Thatchers required a more contemporary shape that would reflect the quality of the Single Variety cider inside and its individual style. It needed to appeal to more up-market consumers. In short, Thatchers wanted the quality of the packaging to reflect the drink's quality.
The new 500-ml glass bottle has a curved profile, which, says Thatchers, makes it stand out on the shelf from the traditional cider packaging. The minimalist design of the metallic label, plus the encapsulated top, represent a new departure for the single variety concept, with the back label suggesting food accompaniments as well as a brief description of the individual cider's characteristics.
Martin Thatcher, managing director of Thatchers, explained: " We had a clear idea in our minds of the bottle design we required, and in particular, wanted it to stand out from other bottled ciders.
"We had some productive meetings with Rockware to set the technical parameters, and the good lines of communication that were established ensured that at all stages, the brief was carried out smoothly. It also meant that end result was both pleasing aesthetically, and met production and filling requirements."
The proposed square foot profile - an important design and differentiation feature - had to be developed in a way that would be fit for production. Foot profiles in general provide a challenge for the glass manufacturer, and the degree of acuteness presented initially to the Rockware design team was no exception.
Rockware's concept and mould design teams worked diligently with Thatchers, to finalise the design. A solution was found which featured a lesser degree of squareness in the foot area.
Thatchers has pioneered the concept of using a single variety of apple in one cider, and its award winning varieties have steadily increased their appeal over recent years, now taking 66 per cent of the single variety market. The company is confident that with its new packaging, the range will continue to reach new sectors of the market.
Thatchers says it has received a positive response to the new packaging from the trade, with a number of multiples, including Tesco and Sainsbury's, already stocking the new bottle.
"We have adopted a number of traditional wine-making techniques with the Single Varieties, and we see the positioning of the range alongside a quality wine, reflected in this new, stylish packaging," commented Martin Thatcher. "Just as a consumer will choose a grape variety to accompany a specific dish, so apples produce ciders with their own distinct characteristics."
