Vertical Markets: Page 308

Beverage

Cork best for wine, says st

EXCLUSIVE NEWS FROM OUR EUROPEAN PARTNER: CORK ranks best or close to best for short-term cellaring of wine, according to a study by the Australian Wine Research Institute. Click logo for full article.

October 31, 2001

Dairy

EU blocks Tetra Laval's takeover bid for Sidel

The European Commission of the 15-nation European Union in late October blocked a $1.53 billion bid by Lausanne, Switzerland-based beverage carton maker Tetra Laval SA to take over packaging equipment manufacturer Sidel SA, Le Havre Cedex, France.

October 31, 2001

Beverage

Abita tests pasteurizable beer in PET

Abita Brewery next year plans to commercialize beer in a one-way multilayer plastic bottle that’s pasteurizable. Until now, the plastic bottles typically used for beer didn’t have sufficient thermal resistance to withstand pasteurization, so brewers choosing to use plastic have had to rely on some form of cold filtering or flash pasteurization. But the availability of this new tunnel-pasteurizable bottle could make one-way plastic beer bottles a viable option for a lot more brewers. Abita Brewery, based in Abita Springs, LA, is a regional craft brewer.

October 31, 2001

Beverage

Energy drink rockets to retail

In September, Ferolito Vultaggio & Sons, Lake Success, NY, “launched” its AriZona Rx Extreme Energy Shot drink in a package that resembles a rocket. The drink uses an 8-oz aluminum can topped with a polypropylene cap that doubles as a “shot cup.” According to Ferolito Vultaggio & Sons, creators of the AriZona Beverage brand, the “shot cup” provides an industry-first sanitary cap.

October 31, 2001

Beverage

Europe grows can shipments

Shipments of beverages in cans in Europe for the first half of 2001 showed 5% growth compared with a year earlier, according to Beverage Can Makers Europe.

October 31, 2001

Beverage

PET bottles unite Union's flavored vodka line

In July, Chicago-based Union Beverage Co. introduced a line of six flavored 80-proof vodkas in polyethylene terephthalate bottles. The new line also represents Union’s first use of plastic. Previously, Union used only glass bottles.

October 31, 2001

Beverage

Coke 'endorses' new mold-making technology

The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, GA, has endorsed new technology for making tooling for injection and blow-molding equipment. The process is patented by Metallamics (Traverse City, MI) and improves the cycle times of, in this case, molding of preforms and plastic soft drink bottles.

October 31, 2001

Beverage

Is e-commerce at a halt?

Last year, packaging professionals were hit so hard with e-commerce hype that many probably felt that if they didn’t rush out and invest in the latest Internet solutions, their businesses might crumble.

October 31, 2001

Beverage

Premium wine packaging

To help make its wine appear more distinctive and specialized, Chaddsford Winery turned to Saxco Canada Co. (Port Credit, Ontario, Canada) to find the bottle to meet its design needs. The idea for the design of a container for the Dessert Riesling wine, which was hatched in-house, included the use of a tall, thin 375-mL antique blue bottle.

October 31, 2001

Beverage

Packaging's role in combatting terrorism

Originally, I had intended to overlook the issue of terrorism in this month’s column, recognizing that timing is one of the perils of writing something that won’t be in readers’ hands for several weeks.

October 31, 2001

Prepared & Canned Foods

Plastic bottles move toward aseptics

It won’t be a ‘slam dunk,’ but some experts say that aseptic filling of both high-and low-acid products into plastic bottles will gain wider acceptance across the United States.

October 31, 2001

Beverage

Plastic bottles move toward aseptics (sidebar)

Projected growth

October 31, 2001