I’m of an age where, wherever I go and whichever friends I see, the patter of tiny feet are never far away. If there are no little ones yet, there’s a very good chance that they will be on the way. And as a result, I often find myself at events where lots of the womenfolk are staying off the booze.
(Some of the men abstain in solidarity; most don’t bother.)
So in the last few years, I’ve become very, very familiar with the non-alcoholic alternatives to wine. I knew Shloer already – it used to be a treat at parties when I was little. But Bottlegreen has become a staple, Belvoir has become my absolute favourite for its lovely labels, and Luscombe an occasional treat that I’d consider at the high end of this particular category.
So it was fascinating to discover in our cover feature this month (page 28) that my own social circle is not the only one awash in bubbly, if entirely soft, grape juice. In fact, the adult soft drinks category is growing at almost 15% a year by volume – a growth rate many of us around the packaging sector would be delighted with.
It’s absolutely true that the packaging is an incredibly important part of the whole thing. The bottles do indeed need to look a bit like wine; just as the drinks themselves do. And if they don’t look like wine bottles, then they still need to hold their own next to the Lafite or Latour (in my dreams) on the table. Otherwise you just wouldn’t dare give them to your friends; even the pregnant ones.
Elsewhere in this month’s magazine, we have the first in a new four-part series exploring consumer interactions with packaging.
Consumer IQ, sponsored by Payne, will feature both in print and online and this month looks at openability (page 23). It’s a huge issue and one that is a top priority for the public. There are also some great technologies out there to help solve it. It’s over to the industry to make it happen.
