Crown And Mother Earth Brew Co. Win IMDA 2015 Best Of Category Award, Craft Cans, For Honcho Hefeweizen

The International Metal Decorators Association (IMDA) recently held its Annual Conference at the Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort, May 20-21, 2015, and recognized CROWN Beverage Packaging North America and Mother Earth Brew Co. (Vista, CA) with a Best of Category award, Craft Cans, in its 19th Annual “Excellence in Quality” competition.  The top honor was for Crown’s print quality, ink laydown and registration in production of Mother Earth Brew Co’s HONCHO Hefeweizen (Bavarian Style Wheat Beer) 12-ounce standard 211 size can.

“Crown really managed to make our HONCHO design pop,” notes Kevin Hopkins, Chief Branding Officer of Mother Earth Brew Co. and current President of the San Diego Brewers Guild.  “While many Hefeweizens feature German/Bavarian influences in their packaging, we opted to focus on other aspects with a ‘Like A Boss’ theme.  In fact, we placed the emphasis on the attitude of the beer drinker and imagined a 1960s casino pit boss, who might enjoy a well-crafted beer after a long shift.  Other aspects of the design are high value poker chips that emphasize the beer’s inherent worth.”

HONCHO began life as a draft offering of Mother Earth and its popularity quickly led to the 12-ounce can and its place in the brewing company’s year round lineup.  The can design features a six ink laydown on top of the aluminum base.  The use of gold metallic ink shines out of the can’s dark nightlife effects.

“Craft beer is an increasingly competitive space,” notes Ron Skotleski, Director of Marketing, CROWN Beverage Packaging North America.  “There are a lot of companies in this six million barrels of beer or less brewing space and Mother Earth is one of the most successful, with distribution currently in California, Utah, Washington, Southern Florida, Hawaii and international markets.  It is a huge honor to have the HONCHO can design chosen by IMDA.  The Crown graphics team truly partners with brewers to get the most out of their designs.”

Winning this category is becoming a new tradition for Crown.  Last year, the company also won Best of Category, Craft Can, for Sunny & Share Citrus Saison, an entry from Mad & Noisy Brewing of Creemore Springs, Ontario, Canada.

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About Mother Earth

Founded in 2010, Mother Earth Brew Co. develops hand crafted artisanal ales in year-round, as well as seasonal and specialty offerings.  Its award-winning beers help define the standard of West Coast Craft and have led to year-over-year growth of well-over 100% since inception, currently making it San Diego’s 6th largest brewery.  With two tasting locations within the City of Vista, including a large Tap Room that anchors the historic Downtown Vista Village District, as well as distribution in five states and on four continents, Mother Earth is proud to be a part of the San Diego craft scene and to be considered one of its premier craft breweries.

For more information, contact:

Kevin Hopkins, Chief Branding Officer, Mother Earth Brew Company; Tel: 1 (760) 542-8868

About Crown Holdings, Inc.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, Crown Holdings, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of packaging products for consumer marketing companies around the world.  Crown makes a wide range of metal packaging for food, beverage, household and personal care and industrial products and metal vacuum closures and caps.  As of December 31, 2014, the Company operated 149 plants located in 40 countries, employing approximately 23,000 people. For more information, visit www.crowncork.com.

For more information, contact:

In the United States: Ron Skotleski, Director of Marketing, CROWN Beverage Packaging; Tel: 1 (215) 718-1303; Email: ron.skotleski@crowncork.com

In Europe: Matt Twiss, Marketing & Business Development Director; Tel: +41 41 759 10 02; Email: Matthew.Twiss@eur.crowncork.com

In South America: Wilmar Arinelli, President, CROWN Embalagens Metálicas da Amazônia S.A.; Tel: 55 11 4529 1006; Email: wilmar.arinelli@crowncork.com.br

In Asia Pacific: Evelyn Lim, Assistant to the President CROWN Asia-Pacific Holdings Ltd; Tel: 65 6229-4880; Email: evelyn.lim@crowncork.com.sg

For editorial inquiries: Thomas T. Fischer, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs; Tel: 1 (215) 552-3720; Email: thomas.fischer@crowncork.com