The client
Brown Brothers is a member of Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW) and proudly boasts a reputation as a true innovator and trailblazer, both in Australia and overseas. The multi-generation family of winemakers has been based in the King Valley region of Victoria since 1889 and has pioneered alternative varieties, such as Moscato, Prosecco, Tarrango and Cienna.
The challenge
Brown Brothers was keen to expand its range of commercial wines to include sparkling Prosecco and Moscato in a can format. However, at that time, canned wines were not considered a premium packaging alternative due to perceived quality issues and limited shelf life.
The company approached Affinity Labs to collaborate on investigating the reasons behind the quality issues and to find practical solutions that could extend shelf life of its canned wines.
The solution
The collaboration resulted in a clearer understanding of the underlying issues causing the quality issues and the limitations of current commercial aluminium can supplies. Practical solutions included screening wines destined for canning to identify potential high-risk wines and applying customised treatments to reduce the risk of quality deterioration in package.
The outcome
The results provided Brown Brothers with the knowledge required to select appropriate wines for packaging in cans and to apply treatments on site to prepare canned wines for a longer shelf-life.
“The team at Affinity Labs deliver world-class research with practical outcomes. Working closely with the team, we were able to release high quality product into market with confidence that the consumer experience would be positive.”
Joel Tilbrook, General Manager Winemaking and Supply Chain, Brown Family Wine Group
