Repurposing Beer Crates

The Castle Lite Crate Converter is a patented invention that increases the performance of the 100-year-old crate, launching a new and colder social beer drinking experience for bulk beer buyers.
Limited refrigeration space and regular power cuts in South Africa result in consumers often leaving outlets with warm beer. Ground research with users revealed an opportunity for brand intervention for bulk beer buying consumers.
ABinbev reached out to Rocketfuel to develop a solution for their challenge. Rocketfuel’s design team conducted close up research with users to gain new insights on the problem. The design team used the insights to create a wide range of cold increasing solutions, focussing on designs that could give ABinbev an own-able innovation in the market.
A removable mechanism that clips onto the bottom of the crate and seals-off water was designed and developed. The material had to meet the target performance score that would guarantee:
Strength in a secured lock that successfully holds 9kg weight, clip-on feature that is easy to clip on-and-off multiple times (reverse metric), water-proof seal
recyclable tray.
The patented design takes advantage of the crate’s proprietary strength, size and holding capacity to seal ice and water inside, keeping the beer cold.
The clip on mechanism allows the crate to function as a portable ice-bucket, giving the 100-year-old crate a second life and eliminating the need for refrigeration.
The Crate Converter allows ABinbev to provide their customers with a new tool that offers bulk beer buying consumers a colder social drinking experience, giving Castle Lite a new competitive edge in the market place.

Results:
11% increase in sales
75% increase in outlet sales