In 2020, Mzansi’s most beloved beer brand, Castle Lager turns 125 years old and continues its iconic legacy as an integral part the nation’s heritage and culture.
To memorialise this auspicious occasion, the brand has revealed that it has reimagined its look and feel and has made a number of significant changes which will become Castle Lager’s key feature in telling a 125-year-old tale of resilience and home-grown fervour.
For 125 years, Castle Lager has not only stood as a vanguard of resilience and unity, bringing the nation together around our nation’s favourite pastime, sport and braais; but has also been a paragon of a brand that is 100% homegrown. A rich and passionate story that deserves to be told time and again.
Castle Lager also wants to use this occasion to remind South Africans that Castle Lager uses only South African ingredients, a big contributing factor to making it the nation’s favourite beer and the only beer to sit in the Top 5 Strongest Brands category of Brand South Africa and Brand Finance’s 2020 Top 50 South African brands.
“We’re all about welcoming new friends and bringing South Africans together. No matter who you are, we want you to celebrate with us and raise the new look Castle as a toast not only to our birthday, but also to yourselves for making Castle the brand that it is today…and for having overcome a tough year,” said Castle Lager Brand Director, Kudzi Mathabire.
And because, in the case of Castle Lager, they believe that there is much more to a label than just aesthetics, the design of the new look Castle Lager packs have meaning behind them.
These homegrown credentials are a celebration of our hot South African sun, the fresh, clear water used to brew the beer, the finest hops harvested in the Waboomskraal Valley near George, and the sun-kissed barley from Caledon and Free State golden maize.
“All our ingredients and packaging are locally sourced; everything that goes into the manufacturing of Castle Lager, is made here in our beautiful country, and we are proud to chart a new journey in 2020 with you, our biggest supporters,” Mathabire continued.
Castle Lager is upgrading its current packaging, which has been around since 2007, to a modern design applied to a rich heritage and emphasises on the brand’s 100% homegrown credentials.
Consumers can now purchase the new packaging which has subtle, yet powerful changes, made to retain Castle Lager’s heritage, while bringing the brand’s image into a modern age.
Key features of the new look and feel include: a new and modernised “African” Barley design; new, modern shades of gold; modernised fonts with the previous shadows dropped, Brand SA endorsement, as well as a new copy on the neck and back labels of the packaging that pays homage to each of the towns that our ingredients are sourced from .
To memorialize this turn-of-the-century updated brand look, Castle Lager is also proud to reveal its new, limited-edition Heritage T-shirts, which not only mark this joyous occasion for the brand, but also honours the brand’s consumers who have supported them and played a role in the brand’s journey over the 125 years.
“To celebrate our staying power and homegrown creds, we’ve designed a series of shirts that re-purpose some of our most unique and iconic bottle labels over the ages to signal our South African-ness and how far we have come. These yesteryear label designs evoke a powerful sense of nostalgia,” Mathabire revealed.
Embedded in the design of each t-shirts, is the names of each and every person who impacts Castle Lager through the SAB value stream.
These shirts not only celebrate the brand’s 125-year history, but also honour the teams and people behind the brand (over 10 500 names).The brand employs South Africans to wear these t-shirts as a tribute to the people behind South Africa’s favourite beer.
Castle Lager’s Heritage T-shirts have been available in Ivory, Maroon, and Charcoal from South Africa’s leading online store, www.takealot.com since 26 September 2020.
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