A distinctive beverage can for its new "Fire Coffee" drink was the requirement of Kirin Beverage, a subsidiary of the major Japanese brewer Kirin. Indeed today it is becoming more and more difficult for brand owners to differentiate beverage products either by taste or by ingredients. This is the reason for Kirin’s strategic choice for an original packaging to attract consumer attention.
In response to this requirement and in partnership with Daiwa Seikan, Toyo Seikan developed a three-piece beverage can embossed with the image of a flame.
This new attempt at brand differentiation using an embossed steel can was a real success. Over 300 million of the cans went on sale at the end of August 1999 and four different patterns had been sold by the end of December – exceeding Kirin's initial estimate by 25%.
Thanks to the success of Fire Coffee, Kirin canned coffee market share has grown from 3,8% in 1998 (8th position) to 4,7% (7th position) in 1999 and it anticipates achieving 6,7% (4th position) in 2000 in a market representing 11,1 billion cans per year.Satisfied with the fruitful partnership with steel canmakers developed for the launch of Fire Coffee, Kirin says it is ready today to use again the unique differentiation potential of steel packaging for other products in its brand.
