Exclusive | Marketing director of Brockmans Gin on its success, eco-Friendly advancements, & B Corp Certification
Brockmans Gin is a British super-premium brand. We speak to marketing director, Eric Sampers, is this exclusive interview and dive into the secrets behind the gins success, the recent ecological advancements, the shift to lighter bottles, and the brands B Corp certification.
Read on to discover Brockmans Gin’s commitment to sustainable practices, and how they blend tradition and innovation to shape the future of the super-premium gin market.
Brockmans is an independent British super-premium brand that was introduced in 2008 and has won over a legion of aficionados worldwide, thanks to its unique and innovative recipe that includes red berries in a London Dry Gin base. To taste it is to love it, and Brockmans quickly becomes the favorite gin of many consumers. The brand also captivates with its seductive, provocative, and distinctive British identity.
Your company has recently obtained B Corp certification. Can you explain what this means for Brockmans Gin and how it influences your environmental practices and commitments?
The B Corp certification marks a significant milestone in Brockmans’ ESG approach, which has been developed over several years. It strengthens our commitment, particularly in terms of the company’s eco-responsible practices. We have implemented an internal “ratchet effect,” aiming to continually improve our outcomes (by reducing our carbon footprint) and enhance our B Corp score year after year. This environmental commitment is one of the key pillars and objectives of our vision to become the leading global independent super-premium gin brand.
You’ve announced the launch of your new lightweight bottle. What are the main innovations of this bottle, and how do they contribute to reducing your environmental footprint?
Our goal was to produce the lightest bottle in our segment without compromising aesthetics, to demonstrate that super-premium spirits can significantly contribute to reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. Glass is a material that requires substantial energy to produce. Our designers collaborated closely with the glassmaker producing our bottle, using shape and content optimization software. We are very satisfied with the outcome because the bottle remains imposing and elegant yet weighs an average of 30% less than our main competitors (empty weight). This bottle also contains 51% recycled glass (PCR), up from less than 1% previously, is fully recyclable, and special attention has been given to the choice of secondary materials (labels, caps) to complete the approach.
How does the design of the bottle express the brand’s values? What inspired this design?
Brockmans’ brand proposition is to be “Properly Improper,” meaning it presents two facets: a seductive, mysterious, and provocative style alongside virtuous aspects concerning the quality of our recipes, production methods, and ethical commitments. The design of this new bottle elegantly synthesizes these aspects while setting new standards in packaging for the category.
What technical challenges did you face in manufacturing this packaging, if any?
Several attempts to optimize the technical design were required to achieve a well-proportioned volume and robust appearance while maintaining our weight reduction goal. However, our partners, Dénomination (design agency) and Verallia (glassmaker), are extremely talented and skilled and found solutions in record time. All the teams involved in the project were exemplary, and it was completed in record time (less than 5 months).
Our customers have only seen the new bottle through screens so far but have highly praised the new design and its virtues. Discussions about eco-responsible practices in our industry, as well as many others, are intensifying at every stage of distribution right through to the end consumer. We believe our customers particularly appreciate that we have not compromised on our brand proposition and have made the Brockmans bottle even more appealing.