CANPACK produces limited-edition cans of Pilsen by Colombian brewery Bavaria for Medellín Flower Festival; cans mark Medellín's transformation over last 30 years, with design that includes an urban map, excerpts from a 1989 Rolling Stone article

Colombian brewery Bavaria, part of AB InBev Group, has partnered with CANPACK to produce special edition cans of its Pilsen for the Medellín Flower Festival (Feria de las Flores).

This annual festival celebrates the life of the Colombia’s Paisa region with a colourful, 10-day showcase of the local flower industry. Since 1957 this has been one of the most important yearly events in the country’s second largest city.

As the leading beverage company in Colombia, Bavaria has over 126 years’ experience of combining product quality with tradition. However, this year’s special edition cans are especially significant for Medellín because they mark the dramatic social transformation of the city over the last 30 years. 

In 1989, Rolling Stone magazine wrote of Medellín as “an epicenter of drug trafficking and gang violence”. Journalists from the magazine were invited back this year to experience how much things have changed since then. The resulting rewrite says that Medellín “has managed to reinvent itself as a space full of innovation, culture and opportunity”.

Now nicknamed “The City of Eternal Spring” and designated a UNESCO City Of Education, it has become a creativity hub across the arts, technology and sports sectors. Driven by the resilience and determination of ordinary people, this has generated a fresh sense of civic pride and a burgeoning economic boom.

Bavaria’s Pilsen cans reference this success story with a unique design. An urban map and a slogan that proclaims ‘How cool to rewrite our own history’ (Que chimba reescribir nuestra historia) pay tribute to all who have played their part in the city’s renewal. Excerpts from the original Rolling Stone review are featured, but with words relating to crime and drugs now replaced with those of praise from this year’s rewrite. A link to the Pilsen brand web site encourages consumers to find out what others have done for Medellín and to share their stories too.

Alvaro de Luna, Marketing VP at Bavaria, says: “We were delighted to work with CANPACK to produce our limited edition Pilsen cans. They helped us use the storytelling power of aluminium cans to proclaim our pride in being part of Medellín’s vibrant community – a city of perpetual progress and renewal.”

Camilo Perez Bustos, General Director at CANPACK Colombia adds: “It’s been a pleasure to work with Bavaria Brewery once again. Our aim is always to make cans that create a special feeling of belonging to a brand. These cans showcase CANPACK’s use of innovative technologies, not only to enhance shelf appeal, but to promote the fantastic achievements of the people of Medellín.”