Rexam has partnered with local craft brewer, Concrete Cow, to launch the brand's first ever beer in cans. Branching out from their bottled beer portfolio, the Concrete Cow MK IPA cans have been designed by Rexam and are inspired by the local Milton Keynes area, which is home to Concrete Cow, the famous Concrete Cow monuments* and Rexam's largest UK plant.

Rexam's design experts, based in the Luton Design Centre that opened last September, worked closely with Concrete Cow for the rebranding exercise which saw collaboration from the initial briefing, through to concept development and finally on-can design proofing and production.

Depicting the Milton Keynes skyline, the striking can designs incorporate structural and detailed drawings of the iconic Xscape snow dome and the Milton Keynes Football Stadium. Using vibrant colours and recognisable landmarks, the cans appeal to a key growing audience of local, young, discerning craft beer drinkers.

Speaking about the partnership, Dan Bonner, owner of Concrete Cow Brewery says;

"It was a huge decision and investment to make the move into cans, but we were supported by Rexam's guidance throughout every step which made it a reassuring and enjoyable process.

From speaking with Rexam's sales team, to working so closely with the design team, they were able to conceptualise our vision for MK IPA and produce an incredible looking can that captures the soul of our brand, which is crucial for us as a craft brewer."

Paul Winwright, Director of Graphics & Design and Customer Fulfilment at Rexam says;

"It was a pleasure to work with Concrete Cow on this project and seeing the process from the first inspiration right through to the final design was really rewarding. We were proud to help Dan make the transition to a sustainable packaging format in line with Concrete Cow’s ethos as a craft brewer."

Dan Bonner concludes, "Rexam is renowned for their work with larger brands globally; however the treatment we received as a local craft brewer was second to none. We're a small business without design expertise, but Rexam seamlessly filled this gap to help us rebrand our MK IPA label to a beverage can format. They really understood the importance of locality to us and this is portrayed perfectly through the designs!"

The 33cl cans, produced out of the Milton Keynes plant, will be on shelves from mid June, initially available in retailers, restaurants and pubs within a twenty-mile radius of Milton Keynes. The cans will be filled out of Concrete Cow's new filling line on site at the brewery.

* The Concrete Cow monuments are conceptual art sculptures scattered across the city of Milton Keynes