A Can You Can Drink From

It is a known problem that the top of beverage cans, in particular in disco, during sport events and outdoor activities, often are dirty by handling, cooling and storage. It is also a known fact that more and more consumers drink directly from a can declining the use of a cup or glass. A peel-off hygienic seal/cap atop aluminum beverage cans is therefore a must.

Advercan introduced in collaboration with 3M to AmeriCANtop a commercially feasible method of ensuring that beverage can tops remain clean, while also providing a marketing opportunity for distributors.
The newly developed pulp-based film will biodegrade over time as a result of combining certain additives into the extrusion process, allowing for an earth-friendly, sanitary seal on top of each can. In addition to the printable face that allows for marketing and promotion, the can tops also enable the “under the cap” type of promotions previously restricted to bottles.


The cover offers the possibility of printing in 4 colours, is water resistant and resists a wide range of temperatures, and mechanical obstructions during handling, distribution and storage.

But the most important aspect in addition to the extra advertising opportunities is the fact that it is a perfect fit for today's health conscious consumer and will consequently increase the popularity of the ‘covered-up’ beverage as well as the brand.

AdverCan claims to be the only one who offers a can cover film for advertising promotion. The AdverCan system is available under license agreement. AdverCan developed both the cover film and the equipment needed to place the cover on top of the can. The machine, which positions the can cover has a capacity of at least 5,000 cans per 8-hour and costs about USD 20,000. There is also 50 cans/minute and 200 cans/min machinery available, while the fastest which runs with 800 cans/minute cost USD 900,000.
Depending of the label design, printing technique and number of beverage cans to be covered the film will approximately cost USD 0,020 per can.

The license agreement covers a payment per applied AdverCan cover with the investment for the necessary machinery laid out by AdverCan.

The Clean-Cap can be applied using a IWKA conduction heat sealing machine.

This new top can label could be supplied with a RFID-tag, charity messaging, gaming, co-promotions, POS, impulse buying, coupons, scratch off, scent, taste, and retailer branding ... all whilst introducing a hygienic seal for beverage cans.

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© Weslley Murylo De Souza Steeman
e-mail: amsteeman@yahoo.com.br

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Water with a spiritual message - Water that purifies thoughts and deeds

During this for so many "sanctified days" of the Christmas season it is justified to present a spiritual packaging.
Water with a spiritual message. Water comes in all forms, in expensive glass bottles and simple PET-bottles, in stand-up pouches and fancy packages. New is "Spiritual Water", just an ordinay (mineral) water, not dedicated or sanctified, but just to drink, and while drinking a prayer can be read.

In a market where bottled water is the number two on the list of beverage sales and is dominated by a few big global internationals, new Spiritual Brands wants to become the number one distributor of bottled water. Not because the water has a special price or is presented in a more attractive packaging, but solely based on the hundreds of millions of (potential) consumers who are believers, the target of the company that focuses on the Spiritual World with Spiritual Water.
The water with a spiritual message is normal water, no holy water and not dedicated only just drinking water, but the labels are inviting the consumer to read a prayer, while they refresh themselves.
Or as the company puts it: "Spiritual Water was born as bottled water with spirituality, positive thinking, prayers, God, and faith. The consumer chooses the bottle, which fits his needs and feelings, reads the prayer, drinks the water, believes in God - and himself - and the sky opens."

The water is bottled in PET bottles with beautiful artistic labels, showing multi-colour images of Biblical figures and symbols, with prayers in English and Spanish and inspiring words and messages. Spiritual Water is available in the market in 11 different versions - each with its own unique message and related illustration, (only the "freedom bottle" is, for some unknown reason, without an image). Every time that the consumer drinks, he enjoys the soothing, appropriate prayers to pick up additional inspiration.

Merry Christmas to all of you
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© Weslley Murylo De Souza Steeman
e-mail: amsteeman@yahoo.com.br

Back to: "The Best Innovations in Packaging"

Smoothie in a 'twisted' bottle

According to Mintel, the US market, the birthplace of the smoothie showed, in the past 5 years, a growth of 80%. A smoothie (smoo) is a blended, chilled, sweet drink made from fresh fruit. In addition to the fresh fruit, many smoothies contain crushed ice, frozen fruit and frozen yogurt. They have a milkshake-like consistency that is thicker than slush drinks. Consumers are attracted to smoothies because they are seen as a healthier option to most sweets, snacks and on-the-go meals.
Now that the smoothie market is a proven success, companies are forced to bring the product to the next level - extreme differentiation. Similar to the coffee market, the "smoothie" companies have to develop innovative new flavours and additives (vitamins) to keep consumers interested.

Americans are accustomed to drink their smoothies in 'juice bars'. Market leader Jamba Juice, well-known blender of fruit with other healthy natural ingredients, opened his 700th juice bar in Portland, Oregon last December. Nevertheless more and more smoothie brands appear also on the shelves in supermarkets.
In December last year, Nestlé signed a global licensing agreement for the Jamba Juice ready-to-drink smoothies.

Nestlé chose Product Ventures, a well-known branding agency, for the development of a new bottle, which should accentuate Jamba's characteristics, such as health, refreshing and enjoyable.
Product Ventures used the essence of Jamba by creating a sculptured design, which imagines ‘freshly squeezed fruit’. The result is a twisted bottle, which displays the 'fresh squeezed' and fits pleasantly in the hand.

Being a Nestlé product, no details about material composition and print techniques of the shrink-sleeve are divulged.
A few days ago I received a new photograph from Nestlé. The bottle without a full-body shrink sleeve shows the twisting contours perfectly.
The bottle won the Silver PentAward 2008
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© Weslley Murylo The Souza Steeman

Water in an octagonal Bag-in-Box

Two major natural elements, water and wood, play a central role in the "Lindoya Vida" (Life in the Box) 22-ltr octagonal bag-in-box with mineral water from the Mineração Mantovani fountains. The BIB-pack consists of a corrugated cardboard case with two-die-cut handles and a laminated bag with dispensing tap.

The corrugated case is manufactured by Klabin - Brazil's largest producer and recycler of paperboard. The octagonal shape of the box was not only chosen from an aesthetic point of view, but also because it gives a perfect palletising pattern.

The two-layer bag, provided by DuPont Liquid Packaging Systems/Liqui-Box, has a 3.8-mil (96.5 mu) outside layer of a bi-axially oriented nylon composition and an inner layer of 2.5-mil (63.5 mu) polyolefin. DuPont Liquid Packaging Systems delivers the ready-made bags, both in 3 and 5-gal (11.35 and 18.93 ltr) sizes equipped with a dispensing tap. The bags are filled on the Liqui-Box model 1000 CIT-W filling machine with a capacity of four 5-gal bags/min.

Klabin wanted a sustainable packaging that could guarantee the quality of the water from the time of filling up till the moment of consumption. The definition of sustainable meant that it should be economically viable, environmentally and socially correct.
The economic viability refers to the price per litre of the new packaging, with a market price that should be between those of Brazil’s two most popular containers, a 20-ltr bottle and a 1.5-ltr PET bottle.
The definition ecological meant a 100% recyclable, biodegradable corrugated cardboard box made from renewable raw material resources harvested from the re-planted forests. The result is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, the international body that governs proper management of forests and their production chains. The plastic bag and the dispensing valve are also recyclable.
And finally, the condition: social justice. The packages are guaranteed fraud-resistant, while the companies involved in the manufacturing collaborate actively in a positive development of the communities in which they are located.
In addition to environmental benefits, the corrugated cardboard box prevents light from entering, as well as it insulates the water from heat, with which the sensation of "fresh water" is much longer experienced than with clear bottles.
The strong corrugated cardboard box, printed in three colours on a white kraft liner, is sealed with hot-melt. The tamper-evident valve allows the bag to be filled without any manual contact with the water.
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80977 ©
Weslley Murylo The Souza Steeman