Metsä Board reinvents the six-pack

Packaging innovation can take many shapes and sizes. For a small South Finland brewery, innovation took the form of a motorbike engine, raring to go: a result achieved thanks to Metsä Board.

Olutmylly is a family brewery founded in 2018. Focussed on domestic craft beers, it is operating in Forssa (Finland), with capacity and expertise to brew 1,000 litres of beer per day. With a major rebranding in 2020, the brewery is acutely aware of what it takes to make it in a very competitive market - not only do you need a top-notch product, you also have to “make it pop” in the store. Fortunately, Olutmylly was able to connect with the visionary graphic packaging team at Metsä Board. The result: nothing short of extraordinary.

Our new beer tasting package is the coolest six-pack around - grins Anne Silmälä, the Managing Director of Olutmylly. The core idea of the package is to showcase six different beers from the Olutmylly selection, while taking brand identity to another level. The Metsä Board design delivers the total visual and functional experience -  Silmälä says - while admitting to having been “blown away” by the idea. The vision for the package was unique, and we’re just so happy that the execution meets the high expectations that were set.               

Brewmaster Mikko Silmälä remarks that the project was a real winner, from start to finish: The cans pop like pistons in an engine, and the beer selection is exquisite - he muses.  

Graphic Packaging Designer Marko Leiviskä from Metsä Board says the collaboration was a “match made in heaven.Starting with the initial idea in December 2024, we were able to proceed very fast - Leiviskä says - crediting the small brewery for being quick on their feet. Smaller companies can be more flexible with packaging solutions and willing to stand out more when it comes to design. This was certainly the case here, he looks back.

Rev it up

Leiviskä’s original package design was that of a motorbike engine, shaped like a V, with room for six beverages. This was definitely the ultimate six-pack to start the proverbial engines of motorheads, Leiviskä thought.

I felt that the design would resonate very strongly with people who like to tune-up cars and enjoy a drink every now and then - he says. Then I found out that Olutmylly already had customers in the motor sports community - and all of this started to feel like it was meant to be - Leiviskä laughs - We were able to make a really specific product for a really specific crowd -he says. That’s certainly a crowd that likes their drinks ice-cold, too. In recognition of this, Leiviskä made room for cooler packs to be integrated into the design. In addition, the sixpack is easy to carry and recycle - being 100 per cent paperboard. “It’s easy to reuse as well, since you can simply replace the cans you drink with new ones.

Mikko Silmälä notes that the package is not only a visual homerun - it’s also a technically rock-solid, practical solution.

We really got a good momentum going, with everybody bringing their best to the table - he looks back at the R&D effort

Total team effort

With Leiviskä at the wheel, other members of the Metsä Board design team also contri­buted: Iiro Numminen drew up structural designs, and Joni Myyryläinen  performed pressure and strength tests. “Everything we do is a team effort” -  Leiviskä says.

The packaging design team is also always looking at the bigger picture: the focus is on the packaging concept itself.

We always evaluate the concept’s over-all viability – what the user experience is going to be like, what issues are key from the functionality and design perspective, what logistical concerns have to be addressed,” lists Leiviskä, who has almost 30 years of marketing communications experience.

Spring launch

Anne Silmälä reports that some beer tasting packages have been shipped to selected customers, with the official product launch in May 2025.

The beer tasting package has raised a lot of interest in the field – and the design of the six-pack is frequently praised, too - Silmälä says.

According to the Managing Director, differentiating your product is a “life-or-death issue” in a highly competitive market.

Looking at the supermarket shelf, there’s beverages of all shapes, sizes, colours and styles. It really takes a ground-breaking visual approach to stand out -  she believes. 

Marko Leiviskä agrees: packaging solutions today can go a long away to boosting the brand and creating customers’ awareness and loyalty.

Sales go up when the product breaks from the norm in a positive way. Eye-catching, memorable packaging also supports a higher price position -  he says - There’s still plenty of potential out there for us to tap into.

Next-level co-creation at Äänekoski

Metsä Board runs a state-of-the-art Excellence Centre in Äänekoski in Finland, to accelerate paperboard and packaging innovation. At the Excellence Centre, the packaging design team strives to improve sustainability by optimising packaging design, materials and recyclability. Another key aim is to accelerate product launches through faster prototyping and testing.  Furthermore, the packaging design team is always looking for ways to boost production efficiency, while zeroing in on packaging design that really appeals to consumers. Metsä Board’s Packaging Services Director Ilkka Harju says that the Excellence Centre’s “secret sauce” is co-creation.

By collaborating closely with the customer, we can discover the best packaging solutions. The Olutmylly collaboration is a great example of this - Harju says.