Tall, slender cans have become a familiar sight in the liquor aisle, and hard seltzers and other ready-to-drink cocktails are now popular choices for consumers. Other competitors and niche brands that are launching RTD cocktails are turning to glass packaging as a stylish, yet weighty way to differentiate their drinks.
RTD Segment – Which Includes alcoholic seltzers and hard teas. Kombucha And various cocktails — have It has grown rapidly in recent years. The withdrawal of beer from glass bottles in some regions is having an impact on the glass packaging industry, Producers are optimistic about the future of glass beverages in these other beverage categories.
“Consumers perceive products packaged in glass as more luxurious,” Alexis said. As a result, Getzlaf, OI Glass’ marketing director, said brands targeting premium price points are choosing glass over lightweight alternatives even as other beverage brands switch to other types of packaging.
According to the numbers IWSR, a global beverage industry data and insights provider, RTD It had a 12% market share in terms of volume in the United States. Beverage Alcohol Market. TFrom 2023 to 2028, sales of RTD products in the United States are expected to grow at a CAGR of 3%. This is a decline from the CAGR of 23% for the category from 2018 to 2023. IWSR said the decline in new entrants reflects the maturing of the RTD market.
But “consumption frequency is increasing, with 45% of RTD drinkers consuming it weekly by 2023, up from 38% in 2022,” Adam Rogers, the company’s head of research, said in an email.
Within this relatively small segment sSome premium spirit-based cocktail producers are trying to differentiate themselves from malt-based RTDs like hard seltzers, and their desire for a proper brand image is providing welcome business to glass manufacturers.
“When launching a consumer product into a crowded space at any price point, it’s important to stand out visually from the competition,” Bart Silvestro, CEO of Via Carota Craft Cocktails, said in an email.
The company worked with Stranger & Stranger, a creative design firm specializing in packaging for beverage alcohol brands, to create what Silvestro calls a “bar cart-worthy” piece. He felt strongly that glass was the right choice, but said there were some challenges.
“While it’s relatively easy to find a facility to package canned goods, bottling single-serving RTDs in glass bottles isn’t so simple,” Silvestro said.
Founded in 2010, Barrelsmith is known for serving handcrafted cocktails in glass bottles made from oak barrels.
Permission from Barrelsmith
The team at Barrelsmith, a company that offers RTD cocktails finished in oak barrels, shares similar sentiments.
“We are a premium product, not a value product,” said the founder and CEO. Matt Ellenthal. “no wayAnd from a high ABV standpoint, the glass definitely creates that association in the consumer’s mind.”
Elental started in 2010, before the industry boomed, and has seen trends change since then.
“If you look at the evolution of this category over time, you’ll see that there’s a real shift toward value pricing,” Elenthal said. “One of the ways to do that is to get smaller and smaller.”
While some RTD producers choose to focus on canned and single-serve low-ABV beverages, Ellenthal focuses on producing high-ABV premium beverages. Barrelsmith offers 100mL bottles on their own or in variety packs, but the larger 750mL bottles are their focus.
The company works with two different glass suppliers. Currently, Barrelsmith uses stock bottles, but is currently working on custom bottle designs. Part of the motivation, Ellenthal said, is to “go one step further in terms of the elegance of the packaging.”
Getzlaf believes premium glass packaging can be a key differentiator.
“We know that consumers can get really overwhelmed with the amount of choices across the store,” she said, explaining how innovative shapes can grab shoppers’ attention. Guetzlaff cited OI’s Drinktainer as an example, which allows bars to package their own single-serve cocktails on site. Right Coast Spirits Italian Ice is First brand Directly market OI’s straight wall and wide mouth lip cap bottle design.
According to Guetzlaff, the luxurious experience that glass provides is especially important in bar and restaurant environments.As we see these brands grow in the retail space, offering cans only in an on-premise sales component can be limiting, as that’s where a lot of consumers go to try new things.”
It’s not just RTD alcoholic beverages that can liven up your glass. Carbonated water is mostly packaged in cans and plastic bottles, but Fortune Business Insights The glass bottle segment of this market is also expected to grow in the coming years.
Companies that produce non-alcoholic beverages and mixers are also choosing glass for its premium look and feel. For example, Betty Buzz, a premium sparkling beverage manufacturer and one of OI’s customers, uses blunt glass bottles for mixers such as tonic water and ginger beer.
As the alcoholic beverage market categories blur, new opportunities continue to arise for glass producers. “I’m seeing a lot of creativity in the beverage space overall, and I think that’s really exciting,” Guetzlaff said.
