Think Outside of the Bottle: Canned and Boxed Wine are in Demand

Mar. 13, 2017

The words wine and innovation aren’t necessarily two that go hand in hand. That’s because the art of winemaking is one that dates back centuries and centuries. And while improvements and advancements are always occurring, the industry for the most part has remained rather unchanged. Until now, that is. Recently, innovations have been infiltrating the world of wine, and we can attribute the changes to the millennial consumer.

As millennials take the cake for the top consumers of wine, marketing companies are determined to figure out how to engage the elusive group. The wine industry’s answer? Alternative packaging.

Alternative packaging is a broad term, ranging from cans, to boxes, to kegs. Essentially, anything that’s not in a bottle. The innovation leading the charge? Canned wine. According to Nielsen, canned wine grew 125.2% in dollar sales in the 52 weeks ending June 18, 2016. Sales jumped from $6.4 million to $14.5 million within one year.

Also hot on the scene is boxed wine – specifically, premium boxed wine, which Nielsen reports as the fastest growing major format in wine sales, growing 24% last year. But it’s not just premium boxed wine that’s growing. Smaller containers like Tetra Paks grew 21.7% in dollar sales this past year, and 3-liter and under sizes are growing at 16.2%.

Innovation in a seemingly stagnant industry is never a bad thing. And the reality is, canned and boxed wines benefit all consumers. Talk to your Breakthru Sales Consultant today about our alternative wine packaging portfolio.