Making It Real: Grolsch Beer Launches New International Packaging and Brand World

Purple Creative has created the new international packaging and visual identity for Grolsch, the famous Dutch beer brand. 

In 2024, Grolsch retired the swing-top bottle in international markets for sustainability reasons. Purple’s new strategy was to make the Grolsch wordmark famous and promote it as the lead distinctive brand asset for the brand.

The wordmark was re-crafted and turned green (just like in the Netherlands) then supporting heritage icons were created as a tribute to the role the swing-top had played in the brand’s rich history.

This design system was rolled out across the entire international packaging range, differentiating Grolsch from competitors, creating more stand out on shelf, and premiumising the brand look and feel.

“Research has shown us this new work has created a real competitive advantage, premiumising the brand and giving us real standout on shelf. Our ambition is to make Grolsch the most distinctive, premium Dutch beer brand in the world. Working with Purple, we’ve got the right tools to make it happen," said Lucie Vaverová, senior global brand manager, Grolsch.

Purple captured the complete new brand world within a comprehensive guidelines, including print and digital comms templates, on-trade and off-trade, photography and tone of voice. All designed to connect more people with the authentic real taste and unique Dutch heritage of Grolsch.

“This has been a dream of a project to work on. The swing-top was such an iconic part of the brand for so long, our primary focus was to honour the heritage but create something new and refreshing. Our approach was to refine, premiumise and elevate the Grolsch wordmark, making it credible and memorable enough to become the lead distinctive brand asset, which we then built a brand world around. I love how distinctive we’ve made it – definitely a modern evolution for such an iconic Dutch brand," said Gary Westlake, founding partner, Purple.

The new Grolsch packaging is being rolled out in the UK and Canada from June 2024.