Canpack gives Polish brewer’s flagship beers a lithography lift in small batch runs

17 Mar 2022 --- Canpack has utilized its lithography printing technique to decorate five flagship beers for Polish brewery Trzech Kumpli. The global manufacturer notes that the ability to decorate cans in small batches has become a central focus for the craft beer industry.

The company says the shift to aluminum cans from other packaging formats in the craft beer market has accelerated during the past few years.

The transition is partly motivated by aluminum cans’ high recycling rates as deposit return systems become more mainstream.

Recent research commissioned by the International Aluminium Institute into the recycling of three beverage container materials (aluminum, glass and PET) has suggested that aluminum cans best support a circular economy.

Printed cans
As one of the first to introduce printed cans to the market, Trzech Kumpli benefits from Canpack’s unique lithography decoration. The brand uses a matt effect, making the packaging smooth to the touch and elegant to the eye while emphasizing the real quality of the beer.

“The ability to decorate cans in small batches has become a central focus for the craft beer industry,” reiterates Stephen McAneny, Canpack’s CCO.

Canpack’s unique lithography decoration on Trzech Kumpli’s flagship beers.“The desire to pour beer into decorated cans was born long ago,” adds Piotr Sosin, Trzech Kumpli’s owner. “From the very beginning, we wanted our beer to be in printed cans, but to fill the minimum logistic orders, we simply had to scale up our production.”

“Our customers appreciate the craftsmanship of both the graphic design, the workmanship itself, and of course the content – the beer itself.”

Overcoming limitations
Limited volumes have presented an obstacle in the transition to printed aluminum cans for many craft brewers. Many can manufacturers require minimum order volumes out of scope for smaller businesses.

For Trzech Kumpli there has been no such problem. The company has benefited from Canpack’s ongoing partnership with Marxam Project, which distributes raw materials and equipment for wine and beer producers.

This partnership has allowed brewers to commercialize its product in printed cans without worrying about fulfilling minimum requirements. 

“Thanks to the long-term contract we have signed with Canpack, we can offer our customers aluminum packaging, which is an excellent packaging solution in terms of logistics and economy,” says Marcin Bauer, Marxam Project’s CEO.

“Our storage system allows for full service for customers from the segment of regional, craft and home brewers, which means that the can doesn’t just have to be associated with packaging for the largest brewers.”

We recently explored the latest in beverage can innovation with international suppliers Canpack, Crown and the Can Manufacturers Institute and Metal Packaging Europe trade associations.

Edited by Joshua Poole