CROWN Beverage Packaging North America, a business unit of Crown Holdings Inc., is introducing a new twist on metal packaging. Crown is rolling out its new Vented End beverage cans for two of Canada’s top selling brands: Coors Light and Molson Canadian. The product of an exclusive partnership between Crown and Molson Coors, it features a vented end to allow for a smoother pour, enhanced experience and a unique opening feature.

The Vented End features a dual aperture opening, meaning it has two holes rather than the one hole found on traditional can ends. The end’s design includes a red tab and a button-shape depression mark to the right of the main opening. To use, consumers simply open the can as usual, turn the red tab so that it is aligned over the button, and then press down to activate the second opening. No extra tools are required to open the end. The vented end is designed to not only enhance the appeal of the package but also help build brand identity by more closely connecting consumers with their beverage.

“Consumers have had an extremely positive reaction to the Vented End and have noted that the additional opening, with its corresponding smoother pour, is both easy and fun,” says Neill Mitchell, vice president of marketing and strategic development at CROWN Beverage Packaging North America. “At Crown, we know that brands increasingly see the value of leveraging packaging to distinguish products, attract consumers and drive sales, and we’ve designed this new technology to satisfy those needs.”

The Vented End can be used alongside other existing technologies, like Crown’s promotional tabs, as well as can shaping, finishing, and printing to attract attention at the point of purchase.

"This latest innovation was developed exclusively with Crown through extensive work and rigorous testing," says Mike MacDonald, senior packaging scientist for Molson Coors. "The new cans are the result of several years and evolutions of our concepts and prototypes."