California wine company begins contract filling of Frugalpac’s Frugal Bottles

(Courtesy of Frugalpac)

California wineries will now be able to use the world's first and only commercially available paper bottle for wines and spirits thanks to a partnership with King City's Monterey Wine Company and British sustainable packaging firm Frugalpac.

Monterey Wine Company (MWC), a Californian custom wine production facility, has agreed to a deal with Frugalpac to see it become the first U.S. filler for the contract filling of Frugal Bottles with wines and spirits.

Frugal Bottles are made from 94% recycled paperboard with a food-grade pouch. They weigh just 83g before filled and are five times lighter than glass. This means it has a carbon footprint six times lower than glass bottles. They also offer 360° branding for exceptional, impactful shelf presence.

MWC is based in the U.S. heart of wine production, in King City on the Central Coast of California. With over 80% of all U.S. wines produced in California, lightweight Frugal Bottles offer drinks producers the opportunity to cut their carbon footprint by 84%.

MWC is within a 200-mile radius of all of California's main appellations, and the Frugal Bottle is developing a growing following in the North American market.

Recent research by Lux Research found that more than 35 million Americans are interested in finding more sustainable wine packaging.

Conscious of the impact glass bottles pose to the environment, Monterey Wine Company is embarking on the "Frugal Way" to produce the recycled paper-based bottles that are the solution for minimizing the carbon footprint throughout the entire supply chain lifecycle – from grape to table.

America is already selling drinks in the paper bottle with Signal 7 Wines, Demon Spirits Rum and Half Shell Vodka.

More than 32 different drinks producers from around the world have launched 100 different SKUs of wines, spirits and olive oils in the Frugal Bottle. They are available in 22 countries, including Japan, the UK, Australia and South Africa as well as across Europe and Scandinavia.

In February of this year, the Frugal Bottle with Signal 7's bottle won Best in Class for Technical Design in Packaging Innovation and an Award of Distinction in the Sustainable Design category at PAC Global's Packaging Awards in New York.

Monterey Wine Company's Director of Personnel and Finance-General Manager Shannon Valladarez said: "More and more drinks brands are looking to reduce their carbon emissions, and a glass bottle accounts for up to 50% of a wine's carbon footprint.

"We’ve been hugely impressed by the success of the Frugal Bottle. That's why we’ve decided to become the first U.S. production facility to fill these revolutionary paper bottles for the American market.

"We think this is going to be extremely popular with California wineries looking to make their bottles more lightweight and sustainable. For example, Jackson Family Wines has pledged to cut its carbon production in half by 2030 and to be carbon positive by 2050."

Frugalpac CEO Malcolm Waugh said: "Three years on from the launch of our Frugal Bottle, we’re delighted to have partnered with Monterey Wine Company to offer our paper bottle to U.S. drinks producers."

Waugh noted that customers who have moved to Frugal Bottle have in some cases seen a doubling of sales volume by including Frugal Bottle in their portfolio.

"We’ve already seen U.S. wine brands like Signal 7 Wines successfully launch all their wines in our paper bottles, and we expect others will join them," Waugh added.

In addition to inquiries to make 120m Frugal Bottles, Frugalpac also has strong inquiries from more than 100 other international brand, contract packing and packaging companies to buy Frugal Bottle Assembly Machines. Each machine will be able to produce 2.5 million Frugal Bottles a year.