A very popular packaging option in Europe and the U.S. market is the KeyKeg. It is developed, produced and marketed by The Netherlands- based and family-owned company, Lightweight Containers B.V. The secret to KeyKeg’s success is that it offers great benefits for not only the brewer but also the supply chain. “A KeyKeg is one-way,” explains Anita Veenendaal, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer. “You fill it, you sell it, and you forget it. There is no need to worry about steel being stolen. There is no need to return empty kegs anymore and therefore there is no need for a deposit. The weight of a steel keg averages 8 to 9 kg, much more than the 1.4 kilogram of a 30 litre KeyKeg. This weight savings allows far more beer to fit into a container. Beside that, KeyKeg’s Double Wall Technology makes every KeyKeg extra durable and safe for everyone in the supply chain.” The biggest advantage is Lightweight Containers’ invention inside the KeyKeg: the Bag-in-Bag Technology. This technology ensures that the liquid is not exposed to any gas and the quality of the beer inside can stay fresh longer. Anita Veenendaal: “In KeyKeg the beer stays fresh for several weeks after you’ve started dispensing it. This gives the bar an opportunity to serve many beers without risk of having to throw away any of those beers.” A KeyKeg already consists of 30% recycled material. Lightweight Containers is currently testing KeyKegs that are made of 60% recycled plastic. The company has also developed recycling technologies that will enable the company to create new KeyKegs out of used KeyKegs. These advantages for the supply chain create such demand that KeyKegs are currently sold to clients in more than 55 countries and are produced in Germany, the Netherlands and the U.S. In May 2016 the company announced the launch of a new family of kegs for the U.S. market with the brand name UniKeg. The UniKeg integrates the common spear system along with Double Wall technology. The UniKeg has a standard Sankey D fitting. Above right: UniKeg®20 and 30 litre for beer, wine and otherdrinks Bottom left: KeyKeg family - slimline 46 BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS www.lightweight-containers.com For more information visit: Brewers ‘increase their sales’ with plastic kegs Showcase CASKS & KEGS Petainer helps build Rothhammer brand in UK Independent drinks business and leading importer of South American craft beer, Trilogy Beverage Brands, has chosen Petainer as its partner to help bring the Chilean craft beer brand Rothhammer to the UK for the first time. This is also the first time draught Chilean craft beer has been made available on tap in the UK and is meeting demand from South American bars and restaurants that want to offer customers a range of high quality authentic craft beers. Trilogy selected Petainer to help with the complex logistics involved in bringing the beer from South America where it is brewed in Santiago before being shipped to the UK in Petainer’s one-way petainerKeg™ - a journey which takes six to eight weeks before the beer reaches the on trade. petainerKeg™ is an increasingly popular alternative to traditional steel kegs, offering significant total cost of ownership and supply chain benefits. Commenting on the partnership, Darius Burrows, managing director of Trilogy Beverage Brands, said: “Due to the significant geographical challenges involved, we had to find a reliable partner who could provide technical support and also ensure the highest product quality in terms of taste and shelf-life. “Petainer’s lower total cost of ownership has made it commercially viable to ship draught beer from Chile and introduce the Rothhammer brand to British consumers.” Rothhammer is available to the trade on draught and in bottles on a national continued on page 48 46_Layout 1 16/05/2017 14:51 Page 1