Frugalpac developed the Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine (FBAM-1), at its Ipswich facility, to manufacture paper bottles from recycled paper, launching its Frugal Bottle in June 2020 with UK Cantina Goccia’s 3Q wine.
The bottles are made of 94% recycled paperboard, are five times lighter than glass and use 84% less carbon in manufacturing.
According to the firm they remain the world’s first and only paper bottles of their kind to be commercially available for use with wines, spirits and olive oils and for brand owners, rather than having separate labels on the front and back, the bottles can be printed around the whole circumference giving 360-degree branding opportunities.
In this major international deal, Canada-based KinsBrae Packaging has agreed Frugal’s first sale of its FBAM-1 for install at its Cambridge, Ontario facility.
Frugalpac chief executive Malcolm Waugh said: “Whilst we currently produce Frugal Bottles in Ipswich, this partnership will allow us to have a mainland presence in North America, reducing the carbon footprint of our bottles even further.
“We’re proud to have this relationship with KinsBrae Packaging who have a strong track record of producing and supplying sustainable packaging. Now we’re asking other packaging companies, bottlers and co-packers to join our paper bottle revolution by investing in their own Frugal Bottle machines.
“It is clear consumers are keen on more sustainable forms of packaging and this is a great opportunity for packaging companies, bottlers and the print industry.
“Frugalpac already has enquiries to order more than 120 million Frugal Bottles from drinks and olive oil brands around the world and KinsBrae will play a massive part in meeting this global demand.
“We currently have a further 87 companies keen to acquire a Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine. Our aim is to place these paper bottle machines at the heart of a bottling plant, co-packers or local packaging companies so we can reduce the carbon footprint of our sustainable packaging even further and have Frugal Bottle hubs around the world.”
Since its launch in 2020, Frugalpac has begun supplying bottles to 25 drink producers globally including English Vine’s No1 white wine, Signal 7 Wines in the US, Spain’s Planet B by Bodegas Murviedro and a range of red, white and rosé wines from the UK-based When In Rome, which specialises in wine in alternative packaging.
Other customers include spirits producers from the UK, Sweden, France and Italy as well as Greek olive oil producer Aones, while more products are due to launch in the bottles in Spain and Florida.
KinsBrae Packaging president and chief executive, Shawn Bonnick, said: “We were particularly impressed by the rapid sales of the Frugal Bottles and the impressive global need for the Frugal Bottle. It’s clear that there’s a significant consumer desire for innovative packaging that’s not only sustainable but also stands out with 360-degree branding.
“Being placed in Canada, KinsBrae is also perfectly positioned to export Frugal Bottles to the USA.
“We’re looking forward to meeting this demand and playing our part in helping to decarbonise the food and drink packaging industry of North America.”
