Award for “Tannenzäpfle” Beer

The “Packaging of the Year 2023” prize goes to a regional brand icon with worldwide recognition: “Rothaus PILS Tannenzäpfle vom Hochschwarzwald.”

The design of the “Rothaus Pils Tannenzäpfle vom Hochschwarzwald” is 51 years old and still modern today – with a classic appearance: that was the jury’s verdict. The award was presented during the 26th German Packaging Dialogue at the German Packaging Museum, Heidelberg. How the jury justified its choice:

1791 in the Upper Black Forest. Here, the Benedictine monastery of St. Blasien, steeped in tradition and on record since 1681, founded a brewery in the “Zum Rothen Haus” inn that was to achieve worldwide fame. During secularization, the monastery brewery “Rothaus” came into the possession of the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1806 and was henceforth called the “Grand Ducal Baden State Brewery Rothaus.” It has remained a state brewery to this day.

Modern and Classic at the Same Time

The “Tannenzäpfle” brand with its iconic label entered the market in 1956. For the masculine world of beer consumption at that time, the brand name of the beer seemed unusual. In place of the male “connoisseur,” as we encounter him on the label of other spirits as a bearer of competence, here there was a young woman. That was new. Added to this was the unusually small bottle size of 0.33 liters. At that time, bottled beer was sold in 0.75-liter bottles. Such a small bottle with so little beer! The name: “Tannenzäpfle”. And then a woman in traditional costume, the “Biergit” wearing the cheek cap: Could that go well?

Its success proved the concept right. And nothing was changed in the design for a long time. As early as 1956, the label featured a sympathetic ambassador – the “Biergit” – next to the pinecones of a red fir tree. She had already played an important role in the brewery’s brand advertising before the Second World War. Today, she is a cult figure par excellence!

Appreciation for Design Loyalty

What is important is the consistency in the appearance of the brand design, which expresses perseverance, generates trust, and creates loyalty. The jury is convinced by the quality and the courage to continue the historic brand design of “Rothaus PILS Tannenzäpfle vom Hochschwarzwald.” What is impressive is the consistent validity of the design language, which continues to be used without compromise.

Museum Director Hand-Georg Böcher, Chairman of the Board of the Förderverein Deutsches Verpackungs-Museum e.V., welcomed more than 100 guests at the Packaging Dialog, including numerous managers from brand companies and packaging manufacturers. The theme of the event was “Bold brands – tired markets.”

FACHPACK 360° asked the brewery for a statement on this criticism and received an answer from the Management Board: "Tannenzäpfle is the main product of our brewery, so we can't change anything at the moment. But - by using recycled material and relying on an existing contract with the paper industry - we are already on the way to finding an adequate substitute made from paper. The most important thing is that packaging must also be climate-neutral by 2030."

Background: almost 40 percent secondary aluminum is already used in the production of the folding capsule. The use of materials has therefore been reduced by 30 percent, the company reports. "This alone can minimize CO2 emissions in the aluminium production process to a very large extent. The folding capsules are simply pressed on and not glued. This means they can be easily removed in one piece without leaving any residue on the bottle mouth. If the sleeve remains on the bottle after being pushed downwards, it is removed by a special machine at Rothaus and 100 percent of it is recycled.

The topic of suitable sustainable alternatives for traditional branded products will also be addressed at the next FACHPACK 2024. Exhibitors and trade visitors can already find out more and register now.