Off-trade

Reliveried Franciscan Well now canned

Franciscan Well, which includes Ireland’s top-selling on-trade craft beer Rebel Red among its range, has introduced its award-winning craft beer in cans.

Rebel Red, Friar Weisse and Chieftan IPA are being offered in a 330ml can for the first time in the off-trade, with selected on-trade sites also stocking the product.

It’s the first time Franciscan Well has canned any of its beers and the entire Franciscan Well range has also been rebranded in both on- and off-trades, featuring a new logo which no longer includes the image of the monk, better reflecting the provenance and Irish roots of the brand.

“The decision to move to the canned format reflects the growing trend within craft beer internationally whereby more and more products are sold in 330ml can format,” explained Franciscan Well Founder Shane Long, “This is something that’s been prevalent in the US and has proven extremely popular.’’

The decision to can was partly due to this international trend which has seen rising consumer demand for canned craft beer instead of bottled. In the US canned forms 30% of all craft beer off-sales. In Ireland canned craft beer has around 15% of off-sales and that’s expected to double over the next couple of years.

All brewing and canning takes place at Franciscan Well’s new brewery in Cork. The brewery opened last year and the North Mall site will be used as an innovation centre.

This decision is in keeping with internationally-recognised best practice for freshness and taste, with cans providing superior product packaging quality and infinite recyclability, points out the brewery.

“Consumers are increasingly choosing to buy craft beer in cans for a number of reasons,” explained Shane, “Cans are more lightweight and portable than bottles meaning they’re easier for consumers to enjoy in more places and for customers to display. They’re also infinitely recyclable, chill more quickly and – crucially – are better at protecting the taste of the beer.

“It’s a very handy, portable way of consuming the beer and one that preserves the taste better than any other.”

The new identity and logo retain the strength of the previous mark while emphasising that this is very firmly an Irish beer established in Cork and still brewed there.

The archway is a new device that has been created to highlight a strong sense of place.

 

 

 


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