Which came first – the chicken or the egg…? In this case it was the egg!
This rotomoulded egg-shape, 600 litre barrel, is an enhancement of nature’s way of natural fermentation, but with a novel twist.
Back to the shape of ancient vessels, but this time with a playful (back to the future) twist of an iconic airship … ZEPPELIN.
This container consists of a 3-legged base structure that supports the egg-shaped 600 litre container. A screw lid on top of the container allows for easy access to add contents. Two taps are positioned as regular front outlets and a drain option is located in the bottom centre of the barrel.
Rotomoulding is an ideal process for low volume production on large container type products. This moulding process is done around a single skin, closed structure and is formed by spinning the mould while using heat and gravity to reshape it into a thermoplastic product.
An agriculture specialist who saw the advantage and need for a custom-shaped container-like product. Similar units were available in the market, but costly and overly complicated. Simplicity, price-point and own identity were the drivers for this design.
This product is aimed at small to medium-sized biotic-type brewers. As the owner is an influential and known player in this market, the product can be ordered directly from him.
This project was sparked by having had knowledge of better fermentation processes, as well as the story behind giving boutique wines a rather unique journey.
The owner was looking for a personalized twist, but at an affordable manufacturing cost. Complex and multi-curved rounded moulds are costly to manufacture and were therefore not an option. This led us to look into history at former-style design and fabrication methods, where a single-curved face had been used to construct rounded containers.
The inspiration came from the erstwhile Zeppelin airship from the early 20th century that was built around a stretched single plane element, which was duplicated in a circular pattern to create a container. Our knowledge and understanding of sheet-metal, how single planned segments are bumped to form a curved face, and the duplication of this element, helped us to design a mould with a simple split and at a much lower price point than other alternatives.
This also gave us the opportunity to create a nostalgic look-alike of the once famous Zeppelin, and to make it a part of the product’s name and story. Part history, part old-fashioned process, but with a completely modern application.
