O-I creates wine-sized cider bottle

Owens-Illinois is helping Indiana based Oliver Winery to differentiate its BeanBlossom Hard Cider, by relaunching it in a shareable 750ml glass bottle.

According to owner Bill Oliver, the large glass format gives the BeanBlossom brand a premium image and enables consumers to fully appreciate its flavour.

Founded in the 1972, the winery is one of the largest in the Eastern United States. It branched out into cider in the mid-1980s and, until recently, distributed its BeanBlossom Hard Cider in single-serve aluminium containers.

"We´ve always thought that our expertise in wine made expanding into cider a natural fit," Oliver said. "Both processes are about protecting the integrity of precious fruits while bringing out their unique tastes.

“That is also why we decided on glass as we were refreshing the BeanBlossom brand. We wanted the packaging to reflect the art and craft of what we do, while ensuring that the flavour of our cider is preserved and protected. Glass does that with beauty and clarity."

The 750ml glass bottle helps BeanBlossom stand out from other mainstream hard ciders sold in single-serve multi-packs by creating a shareable, sensory experience similar to wine.

The new glass packaging also gave Oliver Winery a chance to enhance BeanBlossom´s branding and artwork, created through a longstanding partnership with Bloomington, Ind., artist Kevin Pope.

The many decoration and label options possible with glass freed Pope to add depth and texture to the artwork in ways that he couldn´t achieve with aluminium.

BeanBlossom Hard Cider is available in original and peach varieties, and can be found in 22 states and growing throughout the Midwestern and Eastern U.S.

The new glass packaging started rolling out this spring and will continue to show up on store shelves throughout the summer.