Easy Keg wins RMIT prize

An environmentally friendly alternative to traditional kegs and bottles has won RMIT University’s 2012 Business Plan Competition. Easy Keg, a cheaper way to package beer for microbreweries and home brewers, was awarded the $25,000 RMIT University First Prize and the $5000 The Litmus Group Environmental Sustainability Award last week.

Craft beer production is growing at about 30% each year. The Keg King team saw a demand for better and cheaper packaging to help microbreweries distribute their beer more efficiently and enable home brewers to switch from bottles to kegs.

The Easy Keg is constructed of an outer PET shell with an inner liner holding the beer. The Keg King team say it is cheaper than traditional stainless steel kegs and bottling, while being re-usable and recyclable. The business concept extends to the establishment of the Easy Keg Network, similar to the gas bottle Swap and Go system, allowing kegs to be swapped and refilled.

Kelly Bosman, who led the Keg King team, said it was thrilling to receive such a vote of confidence from a judging panel made up of independent industry and business leaders.

“To have access to industry judges and get their feedback is a huge help when putting a business plan together, while the additional workshops in financial planning and intellectual property were also incredibly useful,” Bosman said.