Italian Beverage Company San Benedetto Goes for the Sleek Can from Ball Europe

The new sleek can is significantly slimmer and five per cent lighter than the usual 33 cl can while still holding the same quantity.

13 Jul 2012 --- Acqua Minerale San Benedetto, a leading producer in the Italian beverage industry, is the first to adopt the light 33 cl aluminum sleek can from Ball for its products. The global player is launching sleek cans with its Thè San Benedetto lemon, peach and green tea flavored ready-to-drink tea (RTDT) and for Tonica and Lemon Schweppes cans on the Italian market. Ball Packaging Europe, one of the leading beverage can producers in Europe, only recently presented the new packaging format, offering producers of sensitive beverages like energy drinks, RTDTs and fruit juices an attractive 33 cl container for their products.

Founded in Scorzè in the Province of Venice, San Benedetto is the first company in the non-alcoholic beverage market with entirely Italian share capital and is currently commercially active in over 80 countries across all five continents. Its leading segment is mineral water, followed by the RTD Tea segment where it offers the most comprehensive range on the market with a wide selection of flavors and formats to satisfy every palate and for consumption at any time. Under license from Schweppes Int. Limited, Acqua Minerale San Benedetto also produces and distributes in Italy the traditional international Schweppes brand the undisputed leader in the tonic water sector.

Thè San Benedetto is highly popular with Italian families, 10.3 million of whom say it is their preferred family product (GfK Sept. 2010). The sleek can with its slim and elegant form broadens the beverage’s packaging portfolio of normal 33 cl cans. Its tall format stands out on the shelf, giving San Benedetto an added edge at the point of sale.

Schweppes is the leading brand in tonic water with almost 70 percent of the Italian market by volume. The Tonic and Lemon sleek cans will fully replace the standard cans in Italy.

Satisfying all consumers
San Benedetto uses a range of packaging forms and sizes to attract many new and different consumer groups. The new sleek can is significantly slimmer and five per cent lighter than the usual 33 cl can while still holding the same quantity. By selecting the lightweight beverage container with its slim diameter of only 58 mm, San Benedetto aims to reach a trend-conscious, modern public. The slender format of the sleek can itself represents health, youth and freshness. To further attract buyer attention, the company employs high definition printing on the cans, a technique that provides brilliant detail.

A perfect match
Aluminum cans provide ideal protection for their content as they are absolutely light-proof and oxygen-tight. They are especially attractive for companies with high ecological standards like San Benedetto, since they are completely and infinitely recyclable.

By choosing the modern and stylish sleek can, San Benedetto is responding to the increasing popularity of cans among consumers. According to the latest figures from the Beverage Can Makers Europe (BCME), sales of beverage cans in Europe increased by 5.2 percent to 54.1 billion in 2010 compared to the previous year with two billion sold in Italy.

A can for the future
At San Benedetto, people believe in the uniqueness and positive effect of the Alu Sleek Can, switching almost completely to the new can format. Myriam Galmés, Sales Manager at Ball Packaging Europe, is happy about this first cooperation between San Benedetto and Ball. “It is the first cooperation between Ball and San Benedetto. I am happy that we can support San Benedetto with our Alu Sleek Can in expanding their tea market. Ball expects several energy drink and tea producers will enter the market in Germany and the Netherlands with the Alu Sleek Can soon, following the health and wellness trend.”