Contract wine packer Greencroft Bottling has launched a new canning line in partnership with Ardagh Group in County Durham in the UK.
Greencroft Bottling invested £2 million (€2.34 million) in the state-of-the-art equipment, which it claims is a first in large-scale wine canning in the UK.
Mark Satchwell, managing director of Greencroft Bottling, said, "The can is a format consumers are already familiar with, through soft drinks, beers, and ciders, and right now canned wine consumption is growing at a rate of approximately 6% year on year in Western Europe. So, we were pleased to collaborate with Ardagh to set up a dedicated wine canning line and be the first to provide for this growing market."
The New Line
With a filler speed of 17,000 cans per hour, the new line offers both still and carbonated filling for wine, soft drinks, and RTDs, Ardagh said in its statement.
Ardagh provided technical support for commissioning and setting up the equipment, as well as establishing criteria for wine compatibility testing.
Sales director at Ardagh Group Metal Beverage Europe, Dirk Schwung, commented, "Our customer technical service team has an unrivalled depth of knowledge and experience – it’s an invaluable resource for customers who are looking to expand packaging formats in the way Greencroft Bottling has, or who need any kind of filling line support."
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
