News briefs: Baltika, Ball packaging and Campari

Viva Espania for Baltika's export aims ​​ Russia-based brewer Baltika says it intends to expand its presence within the Spanish beer market to meet strong demand in the country for its brands. The company, which claims to be Russia's largest exporter of beer products, exporting 70 per cent of the country's exported ales to 46 international markets, said its total sales within Spain last year rose by 16 per cent. In order to facilitate further growth, Baltika said it was working to establish new contacts in the Spanish beer market in a bid to extend its distribution and product ranges in the country. The brewer said that sales of its beer in the country were dominated by the Baltika 3 brand, which represented 26 per cent of sales. ​Ball Packaging targets "realistic' packaging designs ​​ A new development in beverage can printing on the US market will allow processors in the country to use "near photographic" standard graphics on their products, according to a major packager in the country. Ball Packaging says that using the proprietary Eyeris printing system on its portfolio of packaging cans will allow for unprecedented level of detail for images on beverage packaging. John Friedery, Ball Packaging's president of metallic beverage packaging said that the new designs would be combined with the company's existing packaging products to enable a number of display and storage benefits. "The beverage can is an ideal package for a wide variety of products because it is recyclable, lightweight, and quick-chilling; in addition it provides an outstanding surface for our customers' brand and promotional messages,"​ he stated. "We are excited to provide this new printing technology to our customers because it will enable us to produce cans in North American with near-photographic quality graphics, something which has not been possible until now." ​Campari may consider emerging market expansion ​​ The chief executive of Campari has outlined plans to expand the beverage group's operations in the emerging markets of Eastern Europe, Latin America and possibly Asia, according to press reports. Bob Kunze-Concewitz said in an interview with Reuters this week that although while the US spirits market continued to post strong growth for the group's brands, the company had a strong desire to make a number of acquisitions in other high-growth markets. According to the report, Concewitz stressed that the group had a €600m investment fund in which to pursue ventures that would serve its wider expansion goals. Spirits are expected to be the key area for growth, though Concewitz suggested that other segments such as wine may also be part of the focus, Reuters said.