A Dutch family company conquering the world with a revolutionary product. A sustainable product, which has been embraced worldwide. Followed by an annual growth of around 40 per cent over the past decade. What it's about? Lightweight kegs, and specifically the KeyKeg from Lightweight Containers.
Den Helder-based company is a real gamechanger. Anita Veenendaal says: "Our aim is to reuse the raw materials from used KeyKegs for the production of new KeyKegs and make the entire process fully traceable." The lightweight keg is intended for the beverage industry. In our family, we are always coming up with something innovative. While brainstorming, we came up with the idea of the one-way keg, which we have had in production since 2006. Since its introduction our company has won several international awards. The KeyKeg is a keg made up of multiple compartments, an inner pocket in a double-walled plastic keg. KeyKegs already l consist of over 30% recycled material. We have patents on the technology of the double-wall and compartmentalisation and the safety of the kegs meets the highest standards.
More types of beer on tap
The KeyKeg coupler connects to most common draught systems, making switching from the use of steel kegs hassle-free for both producer and user. Tests by the University of Munich, where brew masters are still being trained, rate the taste of beer from a KeyKeg better than from a steel keg. The big differentiating factor of a KeyKeg is its weeks of shelf life after firing. This gives hospitality operators the opportunity to offer more types of beer on tap."
The kegs are now used by countless producers around the world for beer, wine, cider, coffee and soft drinks. The kegs are for single use and after use they are completely recycled. Thanks to their low weight, as much as 65% is saved on energy costs for transport. An empty KeyKeg weighs less than one kilo, a traditional keg between eight and ten! By reducing transport costs and eliminating the need for a return system as with steel kegs, opening up new markets also becomes much easier.
Environmentally friendly use
Apart from energy savings in transport, there is another important environmental benefit. The reusable steel casks are cleaned and sterilised after use. Moreover, they are transported twice per delivery, twice a heavy keg. Each KeyKeg is new and therefore requires no cleaning. All steps in the chain benefit from the KeyKegs. "Once users have tried it, they don't want anything else," he says. The KeyKegs are now used worldwide.
We believe in our mission: "To (further) develop, produce, market and support the application of the world's highest quality lightweight packaging for liquids, with the smallest possible environmental impact and the greatest possible benefits for the total supply chain". Our mission is leading in everything we do and you will find the wonderful result in our KeyKeg.
By: Janet Kooren
