New on-demand bottle ordering service supports US craft beer market

The company said the website makes it easy and convenient for craft producers to purchase high-quality bottles directly from O-I, the world’s largest glass container manufacturer with 79 plants in 23 countries. At launch, O-I On Demand is focused on the US craft beer market, featuring 10 amber colored bottles ranging from 12- and 22-ounce designs to 32- and 64-ounce ‘growlers’, containers used to transport draft beer that are commonly sold at breweries and brewpubs as a means to sell take-out craft beer.

Customers can order in quantities as low as one half-height pallet, pay with a credit card, and receive their glass in 3-5 days. All bottles are made in the US. Over time and based on market demand, O-I said the beer category offering, as well as offerings in other beverage and food market segments, will continue to expand.

Craft products have a growing presence in the label and package printing market, with recent developments specific to the needs of that market including the introduction of a range of label materials by UPM Raflatac to ‘help brands tell their story and reflect their craft roots’, and the opening of Label Mountain as a ‘walk-in’ mini-sized label factory serving the Stellenbosch Wine Route in South Africa.

‘The growing popularity of craft ales is great for beer connoisseurs who are becoming spoilt for choice,’ commented Advanced Dynamics managing director Malcolm Little in a news story earlier this year on the battle for shelf space and consumer attention. ‘As well as the quality of the beer, how a product is labeled could make a big difference to small brewers in the battle for market space.’

Read a report on the market for specialist consumer products, including craft beverages, and their printed labels and packaging needs in L&L issue 5, 2017