Manual Pick: Canned Tehbotol

by Erdira Wirengjurit
24th July 2019
When the iconic Tehbotol SOSRO is packed in aluminium cans, it makes the case for an intriguing observation. Manual Pick is a series where we highlight items we love and desire that range from remarkably banal to mucho fancy.

Tehbotol’s popularity is unquestionable for how simply delicious it is and for its versatility to accompany any meal and occasion. As the years passed, their sales in the iconic glass bottles were slowly retrieved and replaced by Tetra Pak and plastic bottle packaging. And now, seeing the signature drink of the giant SOSRO company bracing yet another form of packaging, this time in aluminium cans, it easily catches the eye of shrewd observers. 

The nationally-loved beverage apparently do come in similarly iconic cans that usually holds carbonated drinks and beer. While it is uncertain how long and widespread sales in these cans have been ongoing, one cannot resist but to pick one up from the shelves to wonder about this subdued novelty.

There’s an overall sense that the classic drink received an update that no one really foresaw. Likewise, one can thoroughly admire the can for how cool it looks with its signature Tehbotol orange shade. Speaking of the unforeseen, the new can packaging intrigues in more ways than one. In the golden age of American manufacturing, the aluminium can was invented to hold beverages for a number of added benefits unique to it. Aluminium is an abundant natural resource and the most lightweight and durable metal, thus any forms of product honed from this material is economical.

The can is designed to be stackable to ease mass transportation while efficiently preserving the product for a longer shelf-life. What’s more, it is the only material up for a true closed-loop recycling; whereas other recyclable materials, like paper, plastic and glass, can only be down-cycled, the metal can be recycled over and over without losing a touch of its quality. In fact, the can that you hold is likely to contain more than 50 per cent of recycled aluminium.

With these clues in mind, one can’t help but wonder of the gameplay SOSRO could be concocting for their most-loved product. Is Tehbotol ridding of plastic for a greener model? Is it getting ready for a global takeover that can match any foreign drinks we see on our store shelves? The speculations are unlimited. Whereby every guess is as good, let’s sit back and relax with one of these in hand.

 

Canned Tehbotol SOSRO 318ml (pack of 24) – IDR 78,000-90,000 – www.tokopedia.com