In preparation for the FIFA World Cup, SABMiller and Crown have joined forces to create a beer can that doubles up as a drinking cup. To take full advantage of the potential of the tournament, SABMiller’s subsidiary South African Breweries (SAB Ltd) enlisted the help of Crown to develop new beer packaging that would ease queues at busy bars without compromising on the drinking experience.
The result is a can with a full aperture end that allows the entire lid to be removed, turning the can into a drinking cup. According to SABMiller, this removes the need for glassware and draught installations.
“The new full aperture end provides an exciting alternative to traditional cans and glass bottles that are typically prohibited at stadiums and arenas around the world,” said Chris Homfray, president of the European division at Crown. “Consumers can now drink directly from the container, streamlining the serving process by eliminating the need for pouring beverages into plastic cups.”
The new can was developed specifically for the World Cup. Although it has potential to be used at other sporting or outdoor events, a SAB Miller spokesperson said there were no plans at present to roll it out more widely. With 400,000 people expected to visit South Africa in June for the World Cup, SAB Miller is anticipating a 4-6 per cent increase in demand for beer in the country during the tournament. The company has not put any figure on how it expects the tournament to affect demand globally but some sort of boost is anticipated.
