Illustrative Image: Cans. Photo: Freepik 
I think I was about nine years old when my mother finally relented and allowed my brothers and I our first slurp of Yogi Sip.
I remember the little box it came in. I still find it strange: how can a liquid be sold in a cardboard box?
And while I think it claimed to be “strawberry flavoured” I’m pretty certain it had absolutely no relation to that often misused “aggregate accessory fruit”. (I was today years old when I realised that a strawberry is not classed – culinarily speaking – as a simple fruit).
I particularly remember the texture of the spout – you could push it open and insert a straw. And at the end, after making a pretty horrific noise trying to get the last bits out with that, we were allowed to pull the box apart to lick off the last bits.
Okay, we might not have been allowed to do it, but I’m sure we did it anyway.
I was entranced by this.
It reminded me a little of the move from milk in bottles to milk in plastic packets.
I never really understood why on Earth you would want milk in plastic packets. It just seemed gross to me. And they leaked all the time.
Eventually though I got the hang of the idea of pouring milk out of a jug which held the packet.
That was after a lengthy lecture in physics and why you had to cut open one end while cutting a tiny slit in the other, so that the milk would not get stuck in an air lock.
Now, of course, the very thought of imbibing Yogi Sip (strawberry, banana or chocolate favours) makes my entire face cringe.
Instead, my interest in packing has moved to something more often sold in bottles and cans. And preferably cold.
I was reminded of all of this while glancing at Nampak’s results.
Despite complaining about a weak economy (like virtually everyone else except the gold producers) Nampak has reported that while revenue was up by 8%, its trading profit increased by 26%.
It was also able to improve its trading margin to 12.3%.
While these are good figures, they’re even better when you look at the context.
They were able to do this despite some problems with what is called “Springs Line 2”, which I presume is a factory that makes cans and bottles for drinks.
But the greater context reveals just how big this change really is.
Nampak has been battling for a long time, now it’s made a big profit and is clearly moving in the right direction.
Considering how exposed Nampak is to our relatively slow economy, this is, when you think about it, pretty immense.
If fewer people are buying Lucky Star’s tinned fish, there is nothing Nampak can do about it, they just aren’t going to make much money.
The same goes for alcoholic and other drinks. If people are not drinking Brutal Fruit and Absolut out of a can (and please, God, I’d really rather not), well then they can’t do much about it.
Interestingly it seems, from their SENS Statement, that cans are the future.
It says: “Local demand for the can format remains buoyant and continues to be driven by convenience, innovation and sustainability.”
I don’t mind drinking Coke (or, more honestly at my more mature age, Coke Zero) out of a can – so long as it’s cold. But I’d really prefer a beer out of a bottle, if possible.
I know this might make you think that I went to a private school (I didn’t), but it is what it is.
I get why they’re convenient; there’s nothing quite like being on the open road, opening the can and slurping up the kilometres.
I was a little surprised at the word “sustainability” though. I mean, by definition, cans are used once and then tossed.
I know that more of us recycle nowadays, but still, it must require more energy and water to recycle a can than to clean a glass or plastic bottle.
That said, perhaps Nampak (and others) have cracked the way to do it. And if they have, more strength to them.
Despite the tough road Nampak have been down, I think they’re probably in a pretty good position.
No matter what happens we are all going to continue to eat and drink. And that food, drink and aggregate accessory fruit-flavoured stuff will have to be packaged.
Which means this is obviously a company in an industry with a very long future. DM