Minister for International Trade James Duddridge has praised British sustainable packaging company Frugalpac for its world beating Frugal Bottle – the world’s first and only commercially available paper bottle for wines, spirits and olive oils.
The minister saw the production of the new Greenall’s ‘Greener Greenall’s Paper Bottle’ gin – which has just gone on sale in Sainsbury’s and British distillery Silent Pool’s new spirit in the Frugal Bottle, Green Man Vodka.
Frugalpac is becoming a global export success story, shipping its recycled paperboard bottles for wine and spirits, which are 5 times lighter than glass and made with 84% less carbon, to 17 countries around the world including Japan, North America, the UK, across Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and soon will be available in South Africa.
Frugalpac is now setting its sights on expanding in Australia and New Zealand, having sparked significant interest from Australian and NZ wine producers, as well as an upcoming launch in South Africa.
The visit comes as Minister Duddridge works to bring the Australia trade deal into force so businesses up and down the country can start benefitting from the agreement as soon as possible.
The Frugal Bottle is made from 94% recycled paperboard with a food grade pouch to hold the liquid, is five times lighter than a glass bottle and crucially uses six times less carbon and energy to produce and dispose.
Since launching the Frugal Bottle in June 2020 with Cantina Goccia’s 3Q red wine, more than 30 drinks brands are now using the bottle around the world for wines, gins, vodkas, tequila, calvados and olive oil. The paper bottles are on sale in Japan, North America, the UK, across Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and soon will be available in South Africa.
During his visit to Frugalpac’s 11,000 sq ft factory in Ipswich, the Trade Minister was presented with the latest paper Frugal Bottle – ‘Greener Greenall’s Paper Bottle’ which is the first paper bottle to go on sale in a major British retailer, Sainsbury’s.
Another British Gin producer, Silent Pool, already sells its Green Man Gin in the paper bottle in the UK and Australia and has just released a vodka in the Frugal Bottle, Green Man Vodka.
As well as having enquiries to produce more than 120 million Frugal Bottles, Frugalpac has sold its first Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine, which can produce 2.5m bottles a year, to Kinsbrae Packaging in Canada. Frugalpac has strong enquires from over 100 other companies around the world that also want to buy Frugalpac’s machine.
Frugalpac’s Frugal Bottle has also just received a special commendation in the Innovations in Packaging category at the 2022 Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards. Last year it
was commended in the Green Packaging of the Year category at the Drinks Business Green Awards.
Other British brands using the Frugal Bottle include The English Vine’s No1 white wine, Scottish NB Distillery’s School Night and a range of red, white and rosé wines from the UK’s leading provider of wine in alternative packaging, When In Rome.
It’s also used by Signal 7 Wines in the US, Spain’s Planet B by Bodegas Murviedro, a Mexican organic tequila Buen Vato from Sweden’s Alias Smith, a French Calvados from Avallen Spirits and Italy’s Evviva and Greece’s AONES for olive oil.
Future releases in the Frugal Bottle will include wines from Spanish producer Fernando Castro and South African wine brand Interpunkt and Half Shell Vodka by Florida’s Distillery 98, out in the Autumn.
Minister for International Trade James Duddridge said: “From machinery to clothing to medicinal products, the East of England exports a huge range of products to Australia. Our new free trade agreement will increase opportunities for local businesses even further and it’s fantastic to see Frugalpac gearing up to take advantage of that.
“Our independent trade policy delivers growth for British people – tearing down trade barriers, reducing costs and helping boost wages across the country.
“I would encourage all businesses in the East of England to make the most of what the fantastic opportunities Australia, and our free trade agreement, has to offer.”
Frugalpac says the trade deal with Australia will boost plans to export their Frugal Bottle Assembly machines Down Under, helping Australian winemakers decarbonise.
Surrey-based Silent Pool already exports its Green Man Gin in Frugal Bottles to Australia
Frugalpac Chief Executive Malcolm Waugh said: “We’re delighted that the minister saw at first hand the paper bottle revolution that started here in Ipswich and is now spreading around the world.
“Since we launched in June 2020, the Department for International Trade has been hugely supportive in our expansion into drinks markets overseas.
“We’re delighted that the minister saw at first hand the paper bottle revolution that started here in Ipswich and is now spreading around the world.
“Since launching our first Frugal Bottle in June 2020, the Department for International Trade has been hugely supportive in our expansion into drinks markets overseas.
“Since then we’ve opened up a new 11,000 sq ft Frugal Bottle factory in Ipswich to meet this international demand for Frugal Bottles and sold our first Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine to Canada.
“We’re particularly pleased that our Frugal Bottle with Greenall’s Gin is now available to buy in Sainsbury’s supermarkets across the UK, including Ipswich.
“Thirty drinks brands are now using our paper bottle around the world and we have more than 100 enquiries to buy our Frugal Bottle Assembly Machines.
“Our ultimate aim is to place our paper bottle machines at the heart of bottling plants, co-packers or packaging companies around the world so we can help to reduce the carbon footprint of our sustainable packaging even further. We’re saving the planet one paper bottle at time!”
“Australia produces 1.3 billion litres of wine a year, and their drinks industry is recognising the opportunity to significantly reduce its carbon load by switching to the Frugal Bottle made of 94% recycled content paper board.
“We are seeing a further acceleration of interest due to the massive increase in the cost to manufacture glass, and the carbon footprint from shipping and re-melting the bottles.
“The icing on the cake for Frugalpac, our customers and their consumers will be the trade deal coming into force, making the Frugal Bottle even more viable in the Australian market.”