Issued by Manley Communications
South Africa, Cape Town; PROUDLY South African
cider brand SXOLLIE has made its first mark on the global stage, bagging three coveted
awards at the prestigious International Cider Challenge held in London in
April.
Competing against hundreds of
ciders from a dozen countries, SXOLLIE strutted off with a Gold medal – and the
title of Supreme Champion – in the sought-after Design and Packaging
category.
“We work hard to get our branding right, but we never dreamed we’d
beat out cider brands from across the world,” says
Laura Clacey, who co-founded SXOLLIE together with husband Karol Ostaszewski in
2014.
But South African cider lovers
certainly aren’t surprised.
Before the crown cap has been
popped, street-smart SXOLLIE grabs your attention. There’s no run-of-the-mill
labeling here; each and every SXOLLIE bottle is screen-printed with its
eye-catching ‘X’ mosaic, lending texture, tactility and an urban aesthetic
inspired by the ethnic pottery designs synonymous with southern Africa.
“We wanted to capture something that is unique to the continent,
and present it in a modern African fashion,” says
Clacey, adding that key to SXOLLIE’s success is the sheer simplicity of the
colourful design. “A lot of
cider brands try to cram too much onto the label. We decided to let the brand
and the product speak for itself; to let the bottle be eye-catching on its own.”
However, it wasn’t only SXOLLIE’s striking
packaging that caught the judges’ attention. SXOLLIE sets itself apart from
other South African cider producers through its dedication to
personality-packed single-varietal ciders. That single-minded focus paid off at
the International Cider Challenge with a coveted Bronze medal for the SXOLLIE
Golden Delicious cider.
“Entering the Golden Delicious
this year was really just a test run to see where we landed, so we’re
absolutely thrilled about bringing home a medal,” says Ostaszewski “Our
cider-making techniques are improving all the time, so we’re confident of a
silver or gold medal next year.”
SXOLLIE certainly found itself in
fine company at this year’s International Cider Challenge, with the panel of
judges’ praising the high standard of entries across the board.
While SXOLLIE swaggers onto the
global cider stage, its inherent connection to the pulsing heart of Africa has
been a key ingredient in the stratospheric growth of the brand over the past 18
months, says Clacey: “From
both a branding and flavour profile we’re trying to fly the flag for South
African cider. We don’t believe you always have to look abroad for inspiration.
We wanted to show that South African brands can make an impact, and that local
products that are proudly African can achieve great things on the international
stage.”
SXOLLIE certainly put some of the
traditional cider-making nations in their place with their supreme champion
win, and is fast blazing a streetwise cider trail across the globe. The brand is
currently available in premium restaurants, retailers and bars across South
Africa and the United Kingdom, and will this year begin exports to both the
United States and Singapore. This year also sees SXOLLIE crank the cider
revolution up a notch with the release of its maiden Granny Smith
single-varietal cider.
This revolution may not be
televised, but you’ll definitely want to have a SXOLLIE in your hand as it
unfolds into 2016.
For more information visit www.sxollicider.com, follow @sxollie on Twitter and follow @sxolliecider on
Instagram or contact laura@craftybrands.com
ENDS/
