Glass has been the king in the beer market, but Bruce Turner, Director, Urbanaut Brewing Co. and innumerable others have discarded it for aluminium cans. It is not limited to beer only which made the switch but also included kombucha, cider, wine and iced coffee moving to cans at a high rate.
Bruce Turner spent time working in the United Kingdom before heading back to New Zealand to start his business with fellow Rangitīkei College alumni Simon Watson and Thomas Rowe. He communicated the tide was shifting towards cans there, so doing the same makes sense for Urbanaut.
Bruce Turner also said “While the company did have bottle filler for people who hire the brewery to make products, and some Urbanaut beers were bottled in the past, the priority was on canning everything. Glass lets light into beer, destroying the flavours and aromas. But can keep all the light out. They also cool down faster, are lighter, saving on transport costs, are safer to use since they cannot shatter, and are easier to stack.”
One of the reasons for Urbanaut shifting towards aluminium cans is the branding space, as there will be a lot of room for artwork than bottles and their tricky angles, but the major reason to switch to cans is the environmental impact.
While most aluminium cans were recycled and turned back into cans in New Zealand, plastic was sent offshore. Consumer pressure had driven many companies into cans, with people wanting more eco-friendly options.
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