Heineken introduced its first aluminium bottle – Paco – in 2002. It was created by the French designer Ito Morabito (1977, known by his brand name Ora-ïto), who won an Oscar des emballages, the ‘packaging Oscar’ for innovation. Brasseries Heineken in France developed the bottle especially for the Parisian nightlife crowd: made of lightweight aluminium instead of glass, it was ideal for dance floors in trendy nightclubs. For the sake of exclusivity, the bottle was distributed on a limited basis, also in the Netherlands. 

In 2002, Heineken conducted a test with Paco at five beach bars in Bloemendaal (town in North Holland). This was an ideal location since glass bottles had recently been banned from the beaches there. The lightweight aluminium bottle proved to be an ideal alternative. The concept caught on with the progressive dance and lounge crowd at beach clubs such as Woodstock and Bloomingdale’s. A year later, the aluminium bottle was successfully introduced into the 150 hippest catering outlets in the Netherlands.  

International success 

The luxury beer bottle became synonymous with exciting nightlife beyond the Netherlands as well. For instance, the Paco garnered remarkable public and media response in Ora-ïto’s homeland, where the concept was first launched. The bottle’s iconic status was fully assured after it was acquired by the prestigious National Contemporary Art Fund (FNAC). It went on to be bought by museums and galleries following the launch in 35 countries, and with that Paco was recognized worldwide as a work of art.