Report
Well established in the
brewing scene
Butcombe Brewery relies on Gernep labeling
technology
Butcombe Brewery is a pioneer in craft
brewing that boasts an impressive variety
of craft brews, including Pale Ale,
Indian Pale Ale (IPA), cider, and lager.
From the very beginning, the brewery
has been flexible in its product development,
constantly responding to
changing tastes and trends. The result
is a range of beers that includes creative
seasonal beer varieties – much to
the delight of local and international
beer lovers.
Rising demand and growing sales figures
demonstrate how well established
the brand is. Since their expansion
in 2017, Butcombe has been bottling
its own brews and other breweries’
beers as a contract bottler. To cope
with the increase in production, Butcombe
needed the right equipment
and decided on a new labeling machine.
The brewer favored Gernep's
Soluta 10-640 3SK model, equipped
with three state-of-the-art self-adhesive
labeling aggregates to effectively
apply body, back, and neck ring labels
to 30-cl and 50-cl long neck glass bottles.
Craft beers are known for their eyecatching
looks. Their taste and colorful
graphic appearance really stand
out from the large-scale industrially
produced beers. The key feature which
makes craft brews recognizable and
adds to their shelf appeal is their labeling,
hence the importance of perfect
label positioning,
Gernep's Soluta offers just that. Currently
labeling 12,000 bottles per hour
Butcombe Brewery's Packaging Supervisor,
Miles Hay, is enthusiastic
about the labelers performance: "Gernep
has a solid reputation on the
brewing scene. For our plant size and
bottling volume, it was the obvious
choice for new labeling equipment."
The brewer has produced 10 million
perfectly labeled beers since first
commissioning the Soluta in 2018,
highlighting its success. Likewise,
Gernep has lived up to its reputation
and delivered a high-quality machine
perfectly suited to the customer's
needs.
Easy operational handling –
a convincing factor for
Butcombe
Another deciding factor leading to the
purchase was the labeler's ease of operation.
In contrast to German breweries,
which prefer wet glue labeling,
many UK companies prefer self-adhesive
labeling. To ensure a smooth production
flow without disruptions,
brewers in the UK favor empty container
labeling, as self-adhesive labeling
does not offer optimal adherence
to humid or wet bottles.
Gernep's Soluta 10-640 3SK is the
standard brewery machine proposed
on the UK market for these reasons. It
is popular among UK brewers because
it provides state-of-the-art technology
while remaining user-friendly and intuitive
to operate. Production can be
set via the large, swiveling HMI on the
machine and the smaller displays on
Bristol is England's fifth-largest city, with about 500,000
inhabitants, is idyllically nestled between green hills
right by the sea and is known for its historic buildings.
It is also the home of the Butcombe Brewery, which was
established in 1978 and has since grown into an internationally
known brand that owns its own Pubs & Inns.
34 BREWING AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY · 2/2022