Amcor has provided the German division of Procter and Gamble with a new larger size PET bottle for its range of Punica fruit juice drinks.
The new 1.25 litre bottle, supplied as a preform by Amcor PET Packaging Europe/Asia, means that the P&G can now provide its customers with more product in a bottle that has similar dimensions to a one litre glass bottle (owing to the fact that PET bottles are thinner than glass) and weigh much less.
The 1.25 litre bottle is the first of this size for the German juice market and the first time Procter & Gamble has selected this capacity. Amcor PET Packaging says its introduction reflects a trend among juice manufacturers to maximise the lightweight benefits of PET by adopting larger pack sizes. France and Belgium, for example, have already seen the introduction of 1.5 litre bottles for juice products.
The transparent bottle is also said to provide excellent clarity to display the juice drinks to their best advantage and, combined with an attractive design and large labelling area, maximise their on-shelf presence. The bottle provides a six-month shelf life for the products at ambient temperatures.
Punica is currently one of the top-selling juice brands in Germany. Its "Fruchtig Rot", "Tea & Fruit Exotic" and "Multivitamin 17 + 4" flavours are popular with today's consumers, who are looking for non-traditional, but healthy taste sensations. Procter & Gamble sells over 200 million litres of Punica per year in Germany.
"PET is definitely the material that consumers prefer, with its lightweight, easy handling and high resistance to breaking," commented Ulrich Zihla, Product manager Punica, of Procter & Gamble. "For Punica, the material gives us the flexibility to create eye-catching shapes while maintaining the brand's quality positioning."
"Punica is a fine example of a leading brand taking the initiative with new, innovative packaging for its line extension," comments Phil Gunning, vice president sales and marketing, Amcor PET Packaging Europe/Asia.