SAB Miller's updated bottle design for Cristal, which the company claims is the number-one-selling beer in Peru already, is expected to increase sales to 590 million liters in 2007 from 450 million liters in 2006. The brand, which has been in the Peruvian market for 85 years, now sports four versions of a redesigned amber-glass bottle: a 1.1-L returnable bottle, a 650-mL returnable bottle, a 330-mL returnable bottle and a 330-mL nonreturnable bottle.

The bottles are manufactured by O-I (www.o-i.com), designed to make consumption a better experience for its consumers. “When developing the concept, we first had to clearly understand the Cristal consumer needs and personality,” says Fernando Melgar, brand manager for Cervecer as Peruanas Backus y Johnston, SAB Miller, Latam. “Then, we determined that the bottle design had to be well defined and both gregarious and ergonomic. In addition, the consumer needed to be able to grab two or three bottles at a time, while still having a good bottle/size impression.”

SAB Miller also launched its first flint-glass beer bottle for Barena, aimed at the Peruvian market. “Barena is a refreshing beer that targets the growing young adult market,” explains SAB Miller Barena Brand Manager Per Bernardo Leon. Barena's 650-mL returnable, 330-mL returnable 330-mL nonreturnable bottles are flint-glass and also made by O-I. They're said to keep the product colder for a more enjoyable drinking experience.