Brad Addington
HEAD SCRATCHER
A packaging challenge in Brazil has a simple solution.
My wife went to Brazil in February and spent Carnaval in Salvador, Bahia, in the northeast part of the country.
We stayed in a place on Avenida Oceânica, a major Carnaval parade route that was transformed into a pedestrian/party zone for several nights in a row.
One consequence of this — aside from the loud Carnaval music that went on until 4 a.m. — was that it became practically impossible to purchase wine at surrounding supermarkets or retail outlets of any kind. Having secured an Airbnb where we could prepare our own food, my wife and I were hoping to have a bit of wine to accompany our homemade dinners. However, we were told time and again that, during Carnaval, retail wine sales are traditionally suspended so as to avoid the potential harm of broken glass in the streets.
If there were ever an argument for alternative packaging for wine, this would be one of them.
I’m reminded of the interview I conducted in 2024 with Marian Leitner-Waldman, Co-Founder and CEO of Archer Roose, during which Leitner-Waldman pointed out the many advantages of canned wine. That interview can be found here.
Packaging Strategies interviewed Marian Leitner-Waldman in 2024 about the many advantages of canned wine.
Courtesy of Archer Roose
More recently, Butter Wines announced the release of its ButterLight Chardonnay in cans. That story can be found here.
Also, it was just in January that we published a feature story on beer, wine and spirits packaging. That story looked at recycle-ready, bag-in-box packaging for wine from SIG and also looked at Packamama’s wine bottles, which are 1) lighter than traditional glass bottles, 2) shatterproof, and 3) fully recyclable through existing systems. That story can be found here.
Future Market Insights reports that South America — especially Brazil and Argentina — is witnessing a growing canned wine market, noting a 2024 valuation for the region of nearly US$190 million, driven by younger consumers seeking affordable options.
It will be interesting to see if, sometime down the road, the refreshment vendors lining Brazil’s Carnaval routes expand their offerings beyond cans of Brahma beer and guarana to cans of wine, along with other wine packaging formats that don’t pose a hazard to revelers.
