Packaging Solutions Green Solutions
Ipswich sustainable packaging company Frugalpac – recently named SME of the Year at the UK Green Business Awards– has sold its paper bottle machine to Monterey Wine Company (MWC), a Californian custom wine production facility.
It is the second paper bottle machine Frugalpac has sold for export after Canada’s KinsBrae Packaging agreed to buy the first machine in June 2022 and will now double paper bottle production in North America to five million a year.
The Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine allows Frugal Bottles to be made in the heart of the winery and so reduce carbon further through shipping less volume from formed glass bottles from central manufacturing facilities.
Bringing flat recycled paperboard and pouches into the winery to be assembled reduces the amount of delivery trucks by four. Investing in the Frugal Bottles Assembly machine brings the Frugal Bottle cost down dramatically due to reduced shipping costs and local manufacture.
Frugal Bottles are made from 94% recycled paperboard with a food grade pouch and weighing just 83g before filled and are five times lighter than glass. This means they have a carbon footprint six times lower than glass bottles.
They also offer 360° branding for exceptional, impactful shelf presence.
MWC is based in the heart of wine production in the US, in King City on the Central Coast of California. With over 80% of all US wines produced in California, lightweight Frugal Bottles offer drinks producers the opportunity to radically decarbonise their bottles.
MWC, which is within a 200 mile radius of all California’s main appellations, had already established a dedicated filling service for brands to fill Frugal Bottles for wine and spirits brands in the US.
Today’s announcement means the paper bottles will now also be made in California and MWC can offer bottle production, filling and packing in an end to end service for the US drinks industry.
More than 35 different drinks producers from around the world have launched 120 different SKUs of wines, spirits and olive oils in the Frugal Bottle.
They are available in 25 countries including Japan, North America, the UK, across Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and South Africa. Some 1.8 million paper bottles have been produced since 2020, saving 832 tonnes of CO2e
Monterey Wine Company’s director of personnel and finance general manager Shannon Valladarez said, ‘We are very proud to be the first US company to produce the revolutionary paper Frugal Bottle.
‘Drinks brands around the world are looking to decarbonise and the bottle accounts for up to 50% of a wine’s carbon footprint. By moving to our Frugal Bottle, they will be able to slash the bottle’s carbon footprint by 84% and that is a huge game changer.
‘We were hugely impressed by the global success of the Frugal Bottle and felt the time was right to invest in Frugalpac’s machine so we can produce the bottles in the US, making it easier for drinks brands to move to a more sustainable packaging.
‘We are already taking orders from drinks brands across the US and predict we will see a paper bottle revolution sweep across America.’
Frugalpac CEO Malcolm Waugh added, ‘This is a big moment not only for Frugalpac but the US drinks industry. Now American wine and spirits brands will be able to buy and fill paper bottles made in America for the first time.
‘Our Frugal Bottle and Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine offers a really simple and cost effective way for wineries and spirits producers to radically cut their bottle’s carbon footprint at a stroke. They will also be able to use 360 degree branding to achieve maximum shelf stand out in stores.
‘We have already seen several wine and spirits in North America use our paper bottle and MWC’s decision to buy our Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine means even more drinks brands will be able to make the move from glass to paper.’
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