Three brand owners rule more than half the market share in the ready-to-drink tea category—about 57%—but there's plenty of opportunity for the rest of the market, and Polar Beverages is making a run at it with a "fun" brand. The company is introducing Black Jack Beverage tea with razor-sharp graphics to create the "wow" factor on each can.

Polar Beverages achieved the intense graphic reproduction by improving the pre-press process. Working with Crown Beverage Packaging North America, Polar Beverages gained better dot spacing and reproduction of fine-detail images and text on the cans through a new pre-press-to-print process using proprietary separation techniques and high-resolution printing plates.

Gerry Martin, Vice President of Marketing at Polar Beverages, says graphics quality is crucial for the brand because each 16-oz aluminum beverage can features a design and color scheme that convey the distinctive flavors specific to the four tea varieties.

The back panel of each can follows the adventures of Captain Black Jack Crowley and his dog Grog as they capture treasure and rare teas. The cans include gold ends and black tabs for additional visual impact.