O Olutmylly is a family brewery operating in Forssa in Finland. With a major rebranding in 2020, the brewery is acutely aware of what it takes to make it in a very competitive market – not only do you need a top-notch product, you also have to “make it pop” in the store. Fortunately, Olutmylly was able to connect with the visionary graphic packaging team at Metsä Board. The result: nothing short of extraordinary. “Our new beer tasting package is the coolest six-pack around,” grins Anne Silmälä , the Managing Director of Olutmylly. The core idea of the package is to showcase six differ- ent beers from the Olutmylly selection, while taking brand identity to another level. “The Metsä Board design delivers the total visual and functional experience,” Silmälä says, while admitting to having been “blown away” by the idea.
the ultimate six-pack to start the proverbial engines of motorheads, Leiviskä thought. “I felt that the design would resonate very strongly with people who like to tune-up cars and enjoy a drink every now and then,” he says. “Then I found out that Olutmylly already had customers in the motor sports community – and all of this started to feel like it was meant to be,” Leiviskä laughs. “We were able to make a really specific product for a really specific crowd,” he says. That’s certainly a crowd that likes their drinks ice-cold, too. In recognition of this, Leiviskä made room for cooler packs to be integrated into the design. In addition, the sixpack is easy to carry and recycle – being 100 per cent paperboard. “It’s easy to reuse as well, since you can simply replace the cans you drink with new ones.”
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“The vision for the package was unique, and we’re just so happy that the execution meets the high expectations that were set.” Brewmaster Mikko Silmälä remarks that the project was a real winner, from start to finish. “The cans pop like pistons in an engine, and the beer selection is exquisite,” he muses. Graphic Packaging Designer Marko Leiviskä from Metsä Board says the collabo- ration was a “match made in heaven”. “Starting with the initial idea in Decem- ber 2024, we were able to proceed very fast,” Leiviskä says, crediting the small brewery for being quick on their feet. “Smaller companies can be more flexible with packaging solutions and willing to stand out more when it comes to design. This was certainly the case here,” he looks back. REV IT UP Leiviskä’s original package design was that of a motorbike engine, shaped like a V, with room for six beverages. This was definitely
NEXT-LEVEL CO-CREATION AT ÄÄNEKOSKI
Metsä Board runs a state-of-the-art Excellence Centre in Äänekoski in Finland, to accelerate paperboard and packaging innovation. At the Excellence Centre, the packaging design team strives to improve sustainability by optimising packaging design, materials and recyclability. Another key aim is to accelerate product launch- es through faster prototyping and testing. Furthermore, the packaging design team is always looking for ways to boost production efficiency, while zeroing in on packaging design that really appeals to consumers. Metsä Board’s Packaging Services Director Ilkka Harju says that the Excellence Centre’s “secret sauce” is co-creation. “By collaborating closely with the customer, we can discover the best packaging solutions. The Olutmylly collaboration is a great example of this,” Harju says.
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