BrewBoard goes with Tonejet for short run, direct-to-can digital label printing

BrewBoard, a Cambridge, UK-based independent craft brewer, prides itself on producing craft beers with distinctive and characterful branding. To further this effort, the brewery is enhancing its can designs with Tonejet Cyclone’s direct-to-can digital printing technology.

Each of BrewBoard’s brews is distinguishable by its packaging, with unique off-the-wall designs representing the various brews making it a perfect fit for Tonejet, with a minimum quantity as low as one, and giving them an edge in the highly competitive world of craft beer.

“BrewBoard gives us the perfect opportunity to collaborate with a local partner to expose the full potential of the Cyclone end-to-end model. This is the first of many projects, craft beer is a huge potential market for digital beverage can production,” stated Rob Day, CEO at Tonejet.

What’s cool about Tonejet

Speaking on how the Tonejet solution will help to support new business plans, BrewBoard Co-Founder Oliver Pugh, said “having the flexibility to do small runs will enable us to win business that we might otherwise have not been able to cater for. It reduces lead times making us more competitive.”

Whilst supporting independent business by allowing small breweries to run promotional specials and create limited edition beverage cans, the Tonejet solution allows companies to package their products in an environmentally friendly way, producing very little wastage. The Cyclone printer does not use plastic-shrink sleeves, meaning the only materials used are 100% recyclable. This gives the process a miniscule carbon footprint, which is compounded further by the process using 90% less ink than conventional inkjet systems.

For BrewBoard, this was one of the main draws for using the Tonejet system, with Pugh affirming “we are always looking for ways to make our packaging more sustainable, recyclable and environmentally friendly and digitally printed cans fit in with that philosophy.”

The Tonejet Cyclone gives craft beverage brewers, contract fillers, packaging suppliers and large brand owners the ability to create bespoke packaging for short-run product variations at much lower running costs than those associated with traditional methods, and with no compromise on quality. Digital beverage can production eliminates the need to procure, stock, apply and recycle labels ensuring a reduction in costs and a sustainable product. Tonejet printed cans remain 100% recyclable.

The brewery will implement highly customized campaigns across Cambridge and East Anglia, with the low volume freedom afforded by Tonejet’s solution. The cans will be produced at Tonejet’s facility in Melbourn, Hertfordshire where the company maintains a printing line for demonstration production runs.