A growler is a 64-oz container consumers use to transport take-out beverages such as draft beer from craft breweries and brewpubs. It is also used by home craft brewers. Alternatively, brand owners can also use it to market cold-brew coffee. It is ideal for larger quantities that are consumed over several days or by multiple people at home gatherings.
“Currently, the craft brewing sector mostly uses heavy glass beer growlers, which are relatively expensive. Growler fans spend as much as $20 dollars for the glass container on top of the beer cost. That means that the glass growler represents as much as one-half the cost of a filled growler,” explained Barry Sak, director for the food and specialty market, Pretium. “The SureHandle amber growler costs a fraction of that and is much more portable, due to its significantly lighter weight.”
Additionally, glass growlers are heavy to ship and are susceptible to breakage. A glass growler weighs more than a pound, while a SureHandle PET bottle weights 84 g (3 oz) and is shatter resistant. Further, with many communities no longer recycling glass, PET is more easily recycled and has a higher demand for downstream reuse.
“We also know how important taste is to craft beer consumers. We have done some preliminary testing and feel that our SureHandle PET bottle holds the flavor profile for the typical consumption time,” Sak said. “We also know that growler users like to collect bottles. SureHandle PET bottles can accept pressure sensitive labels which create a unique identity for each growler sold.”
SureHandle was launched last year as a handled alternative for many products—including beverages, foods and household and industrial chemicals—that could benefit from a monolayer container with an ergonomic handleware solution. The container is currently being tested by several brand owners with commercialization expected in the near future.
