Craft beer ‘R’ celebrates the beauty in diversity

French craft brewery R for Diversity has released its flagship blond beer in a stunning Ardagh can that’s designed to include and inspire everyone.

The dramatic black-background can, decorated with a barley-and-hops design in the colours of the diversity rainbow, makes a proud statement of support for the LGBTQI+ movement while guaranteeing to grab consumers’ attention.

On the can body, the beautiful six-colour rainbow logo is set off by Ardagh’s matte black effect, achieved using a matte overvarnish. A bold black shell and black tab reinforce the overall impact of the crisp design.

The statement of pride is not just an aesthetic one: R for Diversity donates a portion of its profits to causes which pursue equality and promote acceptance across the continuum of sexual and gender expression. The company, based near Nice in the south of France, was founded by Daniel Tristant, who says: “R for Diversity is an ethical brand with strong values such as peace, harmony, and tolerance. I wanted to create a different, colourful, festive product that draws people together by celebrating the full spectrum of who we are.”

The ‘R’ in the name stands for the rainbow which has been used to symbolise LGBT pride and acceptance since 1978. “Sometimes the big brands come to events and use the rainbow to pay lip-service to diversity, but never really get engaged. We got a bit tired of seeing that,” says Daniel. “Not only are we making a genuine commitment by donating part of our profits, we worked hard to incorporate the rainbow into a really beautiful design, to reclaim its original meaning and promote the true beauty that lies in diversity. It wasn’t easy to achieve, but the resulting beverage can is exactly what we wanted.”

Heike Sroka, HR Director of Ardagh Group’s European Metal Beverage division says: “We support Daniel’s message of acceptance and celebration 100%. We love that R for Diversity beer is dedicated to everyone, no matter what your gender, sexual orientation or conviction, and as a global company that welcomes and values a large and diverse workforce, we’re completely inspired by this sensational can.”

The beverage itself is a carefully crafted, clear, golden beer at 5% ABV, with a crisp, refreshing flavour with hops and citrus notes. In line with the company’s ethical stance, the natural option to package the beer and bring it to outlets is the lightweight, sustainable aluminium can. Events and festivals are important markets for R for Diversity and the can is ideal in these contexts, being shatterproof, quick to cool, and easily recycled.

R for Diversity is available in 33cl format, with a 50cl size forthcoming, in an increasing number of bars and retailers in Nice, Perpignan, Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and Gran Canaria. The company plans to expand across European markets through 2021.