Canned water like William Bonner’s is still uncommon, but it has advantages

by

I’m from the time when the expression “from the can” was synonymous with good things. It was in the summer of 1987/88, just as I was moving from high school to university, that a shipment of excellent quality canned goods was dropped by a ship off the Brazilian coast and made thousands of young people happy.

(For more details, Google “can summer”.)

Thus, the fuss about the can that William Bonner opened at Globo’s studios during the counting of the second round of the elections caused me some surprise. Guys, what if it was a beer? The whole of Brazil drinking —some to celebrate, others to numb the pain in the ass — except Bonner?

Anyway, it wasn’t beer or coconut. It was water, as Bonner himself announced live after noticing the repercussion of the tin noise on social media.

Then the conversation changed. Where have you seen canned water?

In fact, mineral water represents only 0.05% of canned drinks sold in Brazil — a market where beer and soft drinks take 95% of the cake. It’s still hard to find.

To do this story, I had to ask the Ball company, a can maker, for samples, as I couldn’t find the water in the markets in my neighborhood.

The discreet and unknown canned water has been with us since 2020, with five national brands: AMA, Minalba, Mamba Water, Itacoatiara and Serra do Atlântico.

The question remains: why invent fashion with mineral water when the pet bottle is already at home, almost in the family?

The main argument for change is the environmental issue. “Brazil is the record holder for recycling cans”, says Cátilo Cândido, president of Abralatas (Brazilian Association of Aluminum Can Producers).

“We achieved 98.7% recycling last year.” The reuse of plastic waste was 23.1% in 2020, according to data from Abriplast (Brazilian Association of the Plastic Industry).

Another advertised advantage is the better conservation of the drink. The aluminum completely blocks light and the cans are tamper-proof—once they’re opened, nobody closes them again.

“I’ve seen old water, in pet packaging, with a mold rolling in there”, says Gilberto Tarantino, owner of Cervejaria Tarantino. At the Tarantino plant, the filling line works exclusively with aluminum cans.

In carbonated beverages, loss of carbonation is a rare event.

By the way, the “clack-tss” of the can that Bonner opened live has nothing to do with gas in the drink. The noise happens because the contents of the cans are kept under pressure, whatever the drink — still or sparkling water, beer, soda, juice, kombucha, energy drinks, coffee or wine.

Hugo Magalhães, marketing director at Ball, points out two more differentials: “The can is lighter and does not fragment when dropped”. Relevant points for those who attack the refrigerator barefoot and subject to falling plastic or glass bottles.

Beauty, very good, wonderful. But does packaging really make any difference to the drinker? I conducted a small tasting for myself, without any technical rigor, with still water in four types of packaging: glass bottle, plastic bottle, cardboard box and aluminum can.

In the taste of the water (or lack thereof), I didn’t notice any difference between the samples. There are other sensory aspects to consider, however.

The glass bottle, heavy and transparent, refers to a more, I don’t know, noble product. It is the marketing that the sector exploits to sell water at a caipirinha price in a beast of a restaurant.

The exact opposite effect has the tetra pak box. You expect chocolate milk or terribly sweet fruit nectar to come out.

In the can, the impossibility of seeing, before opening, if the liquid is crystalline is a little uncomfortable – after all, this is another very strong factor in the marketing of mineral water. By drinking straight from the spout, my tongue is trained to wait for the itch of beer or soda bubbles, which are nonexistent in still water.

Finally, the plastic bottle is the standard for water packaging. It so happens that, to mitigate the environmental impact of these bottles, a thin, soft, flexible plastic has been used after you open the cap and release the pressure.

You’re left with a flabby bottle, a bit dull, that doesn’t stand up and wets everything around it if you don’t act quickly to replenish the mushy material.

That said, I’m 200% in favor of the can. Long live the water in the can.

You May Also Like

Recommended for you