Premium single-serve

Alex Rivers speaks with CEO and co-founder of the Canned Wine Group, Simon Rollings, about the history of the company and its future plans.

As a company that prides itself on bringing unique wine offerings to consumers in the “future format” of cans, the Canned Wine Group is trailblazing the way for single-serve, on-the-go metal packaging.

The company was launched as the Canned Wine Co. in the summer of 2019 by Simon Rollings and Ben Franks. “The initial idea was all about how we could get premium, interesting and unusual grape varieties into a single serve format, to sell as an alternative to a whole bottle of wine,” Rollings told CanTech International.

“The more we discovered about cans, we realised there was a huge sustainability benefit to canning wine, with a significant CO2 reduction over the lifetime of the wine compared to the equivalent in a glass bottle.

“At the time, there were a few canned wines on the market, but no one was doing anything particularly high quality or new as far as we were aware, so we thought, here’s an opportunity for us to put a stake in the ground and say, this is how to do it and to do it really well.”

A few weeks after the official launch of the company’s first product in early 2020, the UK went into its first lockdown as a result of Covid-19. “Our plan was to be travelling to festivals and various events to get people trying the product and giving feedback face-to-face, which obviously didn’t happen,” said Rollings. He noted that a shift in focus was needed.

Canned Wine Co.’s Varietal Collection is available in varying can sizes: 187ml, 200ml and 250ml

“We pivoted and focused much more on selling to wine merchants, farm shops and smaller delis, places that were allowed to stay open as they were classed ‘essential’ during the first lockdowns. Notoriously, wine merchants are the hardest people to sell to in the wine trade, so we learned a lot quite quickly about how that kind of trade proceeds, and how to go about selling a metal package that people didn’t necessarily see as premium initially.”

Regarding receiving feedback, Rollings explained that the canned wine the company was producing worked well for online tastings. “The good thing about cans is that they can be sent out easily in the post, so we were able to take people on a wine flight by sending small sample packages,” he commented.

Canned Wine Co. took as many opportunities as it could at approved outdoor events and festivals in between the pandemic lockdowns in the UK, which clearly paid off. The company’s biggest highlight during this period of uncertainty was securing its first major listing with the National Trust, Europe’s largest conservation charity with cultural and historic spaces open to the public across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. “Canned Wine Co. went into around 330 National Trust sites from April 2021 with a rosé [the National Trust’s first], which became huge success, and we continue to work with them,” said Rollings.

It was in 2022 that the Canned Wine Co. began its transition to the Canned Wine Group, Rollings told CanTech. “The Canned Wine Co. launched with esoteric wines from all over Europe, when we were working with individual wine makers in each winery to showcase the best of that grape variety. At the same time as Ben [Franks] and I launched, Oli Purnell and Theo Gough co-founded their company called The Copper Crew, which offered South African wines in 250ml cans.”

Rollings explains how the four became close friends, having visited similar events with their brands. “In 2022, we discussed the opportunity to take on The Copper Crew brand as part of our portfolio, and when it was agreed, we acquired the IP, logos, business name, stock, et cetera. We then relaunched and rebranded in September 2023 with our own wine,” said Rollings, adding that production moved from South Africa to Italy – “everything we source is European which is part of our sustainability approach.”

Asahi became the main distributor of The Copper Crew brand. With the acquisition, “we basically repositioned ourselves as a portfolio company with multiple brands. We launched in Ocado, Waitrose and Booths with our Heritage wine collection. Now we have different brands operating within three different product ranges (Heritage, Varietal and The Copper Crew) selling into three different markets – a mix of hospitality and retail – all under the Canned Wine Group,” said Rollings.

Can sizes, vintage & labels

In order to offer the single serve format, Canned Wine Co. launched with 250ml cans, designed to be a third of a bottle. The cans were launched in packs of three, offering a better price alternative to buying a more expensive whole glass bottle. Working with cans produced by both Ardagh All images courtesy of the Canned Wine Group Metal Packaging and Ball Corporation, Rollings explained that there has been “a range of different sizes” offered during the company’s lifetime thus far, from 187 to 200ml at the time of writing. “The smaller serve size for one person has worked really well and has driven a lot of the volume as we’ve moved into the on trade and hospitality,” the co-founder said.

The Canned Wine Group’s beautiful visuals are printed by Berkshire Labels, part of the European Asteria group. “We prefer using labels on the cans for now, as it gives us flexibility. Legislation is changing so quickly that committing to printing and then redoing all the plates each year because something alters could be very challenging,” Rollings explained, noting that all the wines carry their vintage on them.

“One of the key things we wanted to do with the label visuals was ensure the flavour of the wine came through on the packaging design, so they are all based on the tasting notes of each wine for our Canned Wine Co. Heritage and Varietal collections.”

Rollings also explained that the tactile texture of the labels adds to the consumer experience. “We think it also helps it feel more premium and aids in not only grabbing the consumer’s attention but winning their trust.”

The ‘trend’ of consumers drinking more in moderation has also assisted in the canned wine’s success, said Rollings. “That’s one of the key drivers behind it. If you want to have a glass of something great without spending on a bottle, or you’re looking to have it in a more flexible, outdoors environment, then it’s ideal.”

Packaging premium

Altering consumer perception of premium continues to be a work in progress, said Rollings, although “cans work really well in places where they are an important part of the service, for instance beach bars, theatres or in a hotel mini bar. That same experience isn’t exactly replicated at a sit-down restaurant, although we expect it will get there in the next few years,” he said. Moth cocktails have recently launched in the Japanese restaurant chain, Wagamama, Rollings noted, which has seen success. “As long as we can still tell the story of the wine through the canned format, and as more people become familiar with this, we don’t see why in future that can’t become an integral part of any on-trade situation.”

When it comes to sustainability, The Canned Wine Group has been a funding partner of the non-profit organisation, Every Can Counts (ECC), since 2022, which Rollings stated as a “key part of our sustainability approach and messaging. The more we can encourage people to recycle and dispose of aluminium cans effectively, the more they can be used in the supply chain as a useful, infinitely valuable product.

“We’ve worked with ECC on Earth Day events and various festivals and have enjoyed doing collaborative social media campaigns too,” he said. At the time of our interview (mid-March), Rollings noted that the most recent update for his company is that The Copper Crew had been made available during European British Airway flights. The brand has also just begun to grow its export market with a launch in the Netherlands with Bidfood.

“In terms of new products,” said Rollings, “we have plans to launch some ultra-fine wines on our direct-to-consumer site which will be produced with some top wine producers, so watch this space.” Rollings also added that the company is considering the idea of bringing its production more in-house, noting that currently, the Canned Wine Group uses contract packer, Woodland Drinks, based in Norfolk.

“For now, we’ll be focusing on the ultra-fine wines, and expanding our presence at trade shows across the country,” said Rollings, adding that the company’s next trade show to attend is the London Wine Fair, taking place at the Olympia, London, from 19 to 21 May.

The Canned Wine Co. team