Ayran is a salty yogurt drink that originates from the Caucasus and the Anatolian region. In the meantime, the refreshing drink has become quite popular – and available – beyond the Turkish borders. Including from the cooperative dairy “Bayerische Milchindustrie” (BMI), which decided in 2015 to ask Greiner Packaging to help it give its packaging a new look. In an exclusive interview, Benjamin Zaremba, Director of Marketing/Product Management at BMI, and Christian Platzer, Key Account Manager at Greiner Packaging, discuss the history and the many challenges associated with the new packaging design in detail.
What is it you were looking for when you contacted Greiner Packaging?
Benjamin Zaremba: We wanted a package for our product that reflects the long tradition of ayran while at the same time striking a modern chord.
How did Greiner Packaging approach the project?
Christian Platzer: Our goal was to bring the plastic cup as close to the design of the original container as possible. In Turkey, ayran is traditionally enjoyed from copper cups made by craftsmen. We wanted to give the plastic cup that characteristic hammertone look as well.
The balancing act between design requirements and technical feasibility is quite often a challenge. How did you work it out?
Christian Platzer: We are fortunate to have our own Design & Prototyping division inside our company. And all of our designers also have a technical background as well. That means they know exactly what is doable with the machinery and what is not. In addition, we have a team of project managers and technicians that, in close cooperation with our DesPro, is ready to try anything in order to implement any idea our designers throw out there. Granted, it was not so easy with the ayran cup ...
Why was that?
Christian Platzer: On the one hand, it had to do with the unique surface structure that is produced by the individual hammer blows. It is almost impossible to reproduce that kind of manual effect on a mass-produced product. On the other hand, it required us – particularly our technicians – to do a lot of fiddling around and many trial runs to perfect exactly how to remove the injection-molded cups. That is because indentations in packaging make removing it from the equipment immensely difficult. That makes us even prouder of the result. It shows off not only our design but also our technical skill at the highest level.
This packaging comes in two colors. Will they be used differently?
Benjamin Zaremba: Yes. The white cup is primarily intended for retail sale. The copper-colored option will be used in ethnic markets abroad. It is quite strongly reminiscent of the original, which gives it high recognizability and contributes yet again to an authentic drink experience with our ayran.
Christian Platzer: For the copper-colored version of the ayran cup, we specifically developed a color granulate with metallic pigmentation and then adapted it in the course of several trial runs. We are very happy that “Bayerische Milchindustrie” is just as satisfied with the result as we are – and it is unique on the market, by the way.
Ayran has been available in its new packaging since April 2017 on the German and Austrian markets.
