AA Labels adds art to French craft beer cans

UK-based converter AA Labels has partnered with a French Fox Hat Craft Brewery to develop and produce labels helping craft beer and French art reach new audiences in the heart of the wine-growing region.

AA Labels has partnered with a French Fox Hat Craft Brewery to develop and produce labels helping craft beer and French art reach new audiences

The brewery is based in the heart of the Minervois wine-growing region, which has inspired the team to encourage beer and food pairing, challenging the local perception that beer is only drunk when people are hot and thirsty.

Fox Hat Craft Brewery produces small batches of craft beer to offer a ‘voyage of flavors’ of beers ranging from a light Goze style to a rich chocolate-orange Stout. Building on its local roots, the Brewery shares its label space with some of the many regional artists, helping their art reach a new audience. The requirement to produce such unique labels led the team to international supplier AA Labels and the range of printing services it offers.

‘We needed a label printer able to produce short runs of high quality water-resistant adhesive labels to a custom size with a short delivery time,’ said Andrew Blakey, founder of Fox Hat Craft Brewery. ‘Not only could AA Labels support us with this, but its website also makes configuring and ordering labels really straightforward. What also stood out was the excellent customer service. Ordering from France can cause difficulties with bank payment systems and the disruption caused by post-Brexit regulations has caused some companies to stop delivering to mainland Europe. Not with AA Labels. They understood and explained how to get products quickly through customs, making the whole process seamless.’

Fox Hat Craft Brewery chose printed labels on rolls with a gloss white polypropylene permanent adhesive, designed to withstand the condensation that chilled beverages are exposed to.

‘The artists we feature on our cans care about reproducing their work. Without exception, they have been blown away by the print quality and accurate color reproduction of their artwork on the labels. We look forward to continuing to work with AA Labels,’ added Blakey.

Ian Axelsen, business development manager at AA Labels, commented: ‘Quality and print-run flexibility were the top priorities for Fox Hat Craft Brewery’s labeling needs. Our team was able to recommend the best materials and printing methods based on these needs and provide advice on importing labels post-Brexit to minimize costs and supply the right information to ensure the goods were not delayed at customs.’