The old saying goes that a picture is worth 1,000 words. For beverage-makers, the design of their packages far exceeds that word count as it serves as the first in-person connection to consumers — both new and old.

After being carefully set in a line, when a single domino is knocked over into the next, the entire line will fall. Similar to the cascading effect of falling dominos, changes within the front-end of beverage operations often will cascade through the manufacturing facility all the way to the end-of-line operations, even to case packing and wrapping.

According to Cleveland-based The Freedonia Group, demand for pouches in the United States will grow 4.4 percent a year through 2020 to $10.1 billion,primarily driven by the introduction of pouch packaging into new markets and the integration of high-value features, such as re-sealable closures and spouts, in more mature markets.   

Thirty-eight percent of consumers prefer aluminum cans when tailgating versus 26 percent who prefer plastic bottles. Thirty-six percent of consumers prefer cans at barbecues or picnics, compared with 30 percent who prefer plastic bottles.

If the beverage industry were a baseball team, there would be a lot of different players, from water to wine, spirits to soda and the juices, coffee and teas in between.

Talking Rain Beverage Co. added 8-ounce slim cans to its Sparkling Ice packaging offerings.

Understanding consumer wants and needs can be crucial when it comes to product development and sustainability.