Flexible Refreshments

To create the shape of the pouch, a hot bar sealing system is used to melt, form and seal the pouch. Colombo cautions that polyethylene melts at a lower temperature than polyester. Because of this, the sealant layer can melt and form a seal without affecting the polyester layer.

The final step of the process is installing the fitment. Colombo explains that with a wine pouch, this is a two-piece process. The first piece that gets installed is called a gland, which is the actual portion that is attached to the pouch. The second is the tap, which includes the spout from which the wine is evacuated and the button or valve the consumer uses to release the product.

When the pouch is manufactured, the
fitment is put in only half way and then inserted the entire way during filling. (See sidebar “Beyond the Bottle Cap.”)

“Once that’s in, it’s in,” he says. “It can’t be pushed out. Then, it’s stable to ship and go over the mountains [while being trucked] without having a chance of it popping out due to air pressure changes.”

Soft growlers

While it’s unlikely that the words to the age-old car ride song will be changed to “99 Pouches of Beer on the Wall,” one Alaskan entrepreneur has thought outside the bottle, can and growler when it comes to packaging beer.

Kevin Tubbs of Wasilla, AK is president of BeerPouch. He says he developed the idea for the pouch when thinking about a better way for his local microbrewery to package its product. A common method for small brewing operations is the growler, a 64-ounce glass jug with a screw cap. In addition to being bulky and breakable, Tubbs explains the growler is not the ideal option for keeping out light and oxygen, the two biggest enemies of beer.

Working with PPi Technologies of Sarasota, FL, Tubbs says the BeerPouch was born. He says the pouch is thick enough to keep the carbon dioxide molecules contained and implements an “oxygen scavenging cap” to keep the unwanted molecules out.

“There are distinct advantages to eliminating light and oxygen from beer,” he says. “It’s about shelf life, fresh beer, and retaining CO2. Our customers go crazy for them because the product is so convenient.”

Raising the bar on cocktails

Cocktails in pouches have been available for a few years, but a New Orleans company has developed a way to bring the flexible premixed cocktail to a new level.

Big Easy Blends was born when three friends hanging out on the beach were struck with the idea of creating a cocktail that would be easy to transport and drink on the go. While several companies have already created cocktails in flexible packaging, most of those need to be poured from the pouch into a cup.

With Big Easy Blends, the pouches incorporate a plastic nozzle that the consumer can drink from. Plus, the pouches are resealable so consumers do not have to use the entire product in one sitting.

“The fact that you can reseal it is definitely our ace-in-the-hole,” explains Katheryn Schindler, Big Easy Blends’ marketing director.

In addition to Big Easy Blends’ own line of Cordina Cocktails and Cordina Spirits, the company has licensed popular non-alcoholic frozen beverage brands Slush Puppie and Icee. Schindler says having a flexible way to package these well-known drinks has been a great option for letting kids enjoy them on the move and take the brands beyond the convenience store.

“Now they’re in Wal-Marts, Walgreens, Krogers and other stores nationwide,” Schindler says. “[The brands] are definitely excited about getting into all these stores. It’s definitely not just the convenience store anymore.”

Here to stay

As flexible packaging for beverages becomes more commonplace, Triggs also sees growth in products such as yogurt, baby food and fruit purees. He says Capri Sun, the most widely known beverage in flexible packaging, has been in the market for so long that it has helped lead to a wider acceptance of flexible packaging beyond the beverage market.