High-Tech Printing Solutions for the Beverage Industry

Direct-to-Object printing, inks that withstand water immersion, and cylinder embellishments are just some of the innovations helping beverage companies meet their packaging needs.

Close-up of bottles of drinks in a supermarket. — Image source: JYis / iStock via Getty Images Plus

Packaging Strategies has written a wide variety of stories regarding coding, marking, and printing over the last several months. While perusing our recent reporting on this topic, I noticed that a lot of the stories had to do specifically with beverage packaging.

So, with just a few weeks of summer remaining — and with coolers full of ice-cold beverages by the lake soon to become a distant memory — I thought it would be fun to explore how coding, marking, and printing experts are helping beverage companies meet their packaging needs.

Sterkstokers, a distillery based in Belgium, turned to Inkcups for direct-to-object (DTO) printing. DOT printing lends itself perfectly to Sterkstokers’ bespoke and personalized business model, and since investing in an Inkcups Helix ONE^® UV direct-to-object cylindrical printer in May 2024, Sterkstokers is now able to offer bespoke designs more suited to smaller print runs and print runs of one, alongside its personalized spirit blends.

Markem-Imaje, a global provider of industrial marking and coding systems, recently announced the launch of MB2253, a new black MEK ink specifically formulated for the beverage market. MB2253 excels in marking a wide variety of beverage substrates, including plastics, metals, and glass. Furthermore, it withstands extreme icy condensation and water immersion, making it ideal for various beverage packaging environments.

Earlier this year, Color-Logic announced a strategic partnership with Hinterkopf, a renowned manufacturer of machinery for printing cylinders and tubes. Together, the two companies offer technologies that transform the decorated cylindrical market, providing a revolutionary color communication system, innovative embellishments, and advanced print quality for a wide range of markets, including beverage products.

Learn more about these exciting developments in coding, marking, and printing in the stories below.

Sterkstokers Sees Success with Inkcups DTO Cylindrical Printer

Image of bottles of Sterkstokers whisky incorporating direct-to-object printing provided by Inkcups. — Inkcups’ Helix ONE® UV direct-to-object cylindrical printer allows Sterkstokers to offer bespoke designs more suited to smaller print runs and print runs of one, alongside its personalized spirit blends. *Image source: Inkcups*

Sterkstokers, a distillery based in Brecht, Belgium, offers customers a personalized and bespoke spirit distilling experience where individuals and brands can create their own alcohol flavor blends and design their own unique personalized bottle designs.

Thomas Cuyvers, Sterkstokers Master Distiller and Managing Director, launched the first iteration of the company in his garage in 2011. With a background as a yeast specialist for bakers, when Thomas started experimenting with yeast to create spirits, little did he know that distilling ran in the family. His great-grandfather Driek “Den Driek” Cuyvers, illegally distilled jenever, a juniper flavored traditional Belgian liquor, during the German occupation of Belgium, and his grandfather Antoon was also fined by the occupying forces for the illegal possession and use of a still just before the liberation. Thomas was quite unaware of this piece of family history until he later took up the craft, giving Sterkstokers a story just as unique as each blend it crafts for customers.

It was while experimenting with different flavors that Thomas had the idea for the business model that works so well today.

“I had a little bit of success because I produced small batches,” says Thomas. “The first customer came to me and asked for the same recipe with another color. Then after a short time, another person came to me and asked me to make a gin with pumpkin for a local pumpkin festival. I noticed that it was really easy to create this recipe, so I started developing a whole library for my customers.” 

Markem-Imaje Releases New Black MEK Ink for Beverage Market

Black-and-white image of bottles of beer chilling in ice. — Markem-Imaje’s new MB2253 black MEK ink withstands extreme icy condensation and water immersion, making it ideal for various beverage packaging environments. *Image source: rawpixel.com via Freepik*

Markem-Imaje, part of Dover and a global provider of end-to-end supply chain solutions and industrial marking and coding systems, has announced the launch of MB2253, a new black MEK ink specifically formulated for the beverage market. This innovative product meets stringent industry regulations, helping ensure safety and compliance for both producers and consumers.

Designed for versatility, MB2253 excels in marking a wide variety of beverage substrates, including plastics, metals, glass and returnable glass bottles. It provides durable codes with excellent adhesion. Moreover, it withstands extreme icy condensation and water immersion, making it ideal for various beverage packaging environments.

Color-Logic Partners with Hinterkopf to Transform Decorated Cylindrical Market

Image of cylindrical beer cans decorated using the technologies of Color-Logic and Hinterkopf. — Color-Logic and Hinterkopf offer technologies that transform the decorated cylindrical market, providing a revolutionary color communication system, innovative embellishments, and advanced print quality for a wide range of markets, including beverage products. *Image source: Color-Logic*

Color-Logic, a worldwide leader in metallic color communication, has announced a strategic partnership with Hinterkopf, a renowned manufacturer of machinery for printing cylinders and tubes. Together, the two companies offer technologies that transform the decorated cylindrical market, providing a revolutionary color communication system, innovative embellishments and advanced print quality for a wide range of markets, including packaging, beverage and personal care products.

The collaboration between Color-Logic and Hinterkopf marks a significant milestone in the world of cylindrical decoration. The Color-Logic metallic color system provides product designers with 924 metallic colors, special effects, and an integrated design suite for print embellishments, all within Adobe Creative Cloud. Compatibility with Hinterkopf state-of-the-art printing technologies means the partnership brings new levels of precision, quality and flexibility to the decorated cylindrical market. This integration allows brands to achieve vibrant colors and high-impact decorations that stand out on shelves, with exceptional consistency during print runs.

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Brad Addington is Chief Editor of Packaging Strategies and Flexible Packaging. He has more than 25 years of B2B publishing experience following the fresh produce industry, foodservice, retail, petroleum refining, petrochemicals, renewable fuels, and sustainability. He and his family live in Spokane, Washington, and enjoy participating in regional triathlons and marathons. Brad majored in Journalism and Latin American Studies at the University of Kansas.