WHEN TO CHOOSE STEEL KEGS FOR YOUR WINE
GLASS BOTTLES OR STEEL KEGS? WHEN TO CHOOSE STEEL KEGS FOR YOUR WINE
Consumers have started prioritizing sustainable products and that includes sustainable packaging. Because millennials and Gen Z drink across all alcohol categories, sustainability is a competitive brand advantage. Steel kegs are one of the most sustainable packaging options because it is reusable for 30+ years. With the glass-bottle shortage, there is no better time than now to finally prioritize this zero-waste format. Are you unsure if your program is the right fit? Here are some tips on when to choose steel kegs over glass bottles:
YOUR WINE IS FOR AN ON-PREMISE, BY-THE-GLASS PROGRAM
Wine on tap is a great option for by-the-glass programs. Because there are no corks or foil, it can help increase the speed of service at restaurants and bars. This allows your wine to get in front of more customers more frequently.
YOUR WINE DOESN’T REQUIRE BOTTLE AGING
If your program only requires aging wine in the cellar and not in a bottle, then steel kegs are a great package that will keep the integrity and quality of your wine intact even after the keg is tapped. Stainless steel has been used in cellars for decades and has proven to be a reliable material in winemaking.
YOU WANT MORE CONTROL OVER THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCE
Stainless steel protects wine from outside influences like oxygen, light, and temperature. Each keg holds 26 bottles of wine, which is the equivalent of 130 – identical – glasses your consumers will experience. That means no flawed wine and no bad first impressions.
YOU DON’T WANT TO COORDINATE GLASS, CORK, LABELS, AND FOIL
A big perk with wine in stainless steel is there is no coordinating logistics on your end! Once you are done making the wine, you just have to ship it to us. All other logistics are handled by our logistics team!
YOU DON’T HAVE A GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Labels for wine kegs are seen by staff and not consumers. You don’t need to worry about an eye-catching design because consumers are only going to see the menu where the wine brand and varietal are listed.
YOU WANT TO ENSURE YOUR WINE IS HANDLED WITH CARE
There is a litany of reasons why a glass of wine may not show its best self:
The bottle stayed open too long
Bottles aren’t stored properly
Staff isn’t trained on how to look for flaws like corked wine
With wine in steel keg, a glass is poured from a tap system designed exclusively for maintaining the nuances of wine. Once a keg is tapped, the wine is protected until the very last pour.
YOU WANT A DURABLE PACKAGE
Glass breaks. Steel doesn’t. We guarantee the durability and reliability of our kegs. If there is a packaging flaw that causes product loss, Free Flow will cover the cost of that keg.
YOU WANT A ZERO-WASTE PACKAGE
Reusable steel kegs are truly the only zero-waste wine package. Many times glass bottles are not recycled. If they are, they have the potential to break and contaminate everything within the recycling bin. Disposable one-way PET plastic kegs may use recyclable materials but are not actually recycled due to being constructed of multiple types of plastics requiring their own waste streams. Nearly all PET plastic kegs end up in landfills or incinerated while our steel kegs will continue to be a part of our Free Flow fleet for over 30 years!
Do you still want to know if your wine program is the right fit for steel kegs? Fill out this form and one of our team members will reach out to you.