Korbel Converts Its 116-Year-Old Brandy Brand to PET Bottles from Amcor PET Packaging

When you have a prominent brand with a 19th century birthright, protecting it is a priority. Korbel Classic Brandy, a product of Korbel Champagne Cellars, Guerneville, CA, first made its debut in 1889 in glass bottles. And that is how the packaging remained for more than one hundred years. The 21st century, however, provided the backdrop for a departure from tradition, represented by the latest Korbel Classic Brandy packaging change—the 1.75-liter polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle from Amcor PET Packaging. Gary Heck, Korbel’s owner, president and chairman, explains that the company first dipped its toe in the PET packaging pool about five years ago by converting its 50ml “airline mini” size. In turn, that positive experience fueled a mid-2004 conversion of the 200-, 375- and 750 ml sizes. “We wanted to test the PET bottle and we found no difference in sales. There was no loss and no image problem. Additionally, the PET was easier to bottle and the lighter weight was a major factor,” Heck explains. With the smaller sizes successfully converted, Korbel then focused on the 1.75 liter. The company had been getting feedback from consumers and distributors in colder climates that they had been experiencing glass breakage. Requests came in to either lightweight the glass bottle or convert the 1.75 L size to PET. “Lightweighting glass is almost impossible with a brandy bottle since it is already fairly light—particularly when you compare it to a champagne bottle,” Heck notes. That’s when the company decided it was time to convert its largest brandy size to PET. “We asked Amcor to come up with a design that was a close as possible to our existing glass bottle. We received several different versions to evaluate before we made our final decision. Amcor was very accommodating and worked well with our people,” Heck says. The bottle uses a 92 gram preform with a 33mm Kerr short finish. It features sloped shoulders and a subtle pedestal base. The gram weight is greater than the average liquor bottle, giving an added boost to the Korbel premium image. An additional unique design element is a very small embossed 1.75 L at the bottom of the bottle. This creates a subtle, but distinctive look variation to other 1.75 L bottles on the market which use typography approximately twice the size. “Achieving the same profile in PET as in glass was a challenge. We had to be sensitive to the volumetrics when we were developing the PET bottle, since PET has thinner walls than glass,” Fred Piercy, business director liquor, at Amcor PET Packaging, says. Another objective was to use the same labels on the PET bottle that were used on the glass version, so sizing was imperative. The bottle’s contour creates a natural label protection area, preventing scuffing while on the production line. A heat-shrink capsule is used over the polypropylene screw cap and neck, eliminating the need for a tamper-evident closure. The owner’s name—Gary B. Heck—appears as a signature of quality and pride on both the front panel and on the neck capsule. Cartons feature a four-color image of the PET bottle, which further speaks to the quality look of the end result. Speed-to-market was another by product of the close working relationship between Amcor and Korbel. (Amcor’s Fairfield, CA facility produces the PET bottles.) “This was one of our company’s fastest development projects in the liquor segment,” states Piercy. “Korbel was very happy with our results and was very quick to make decisions to move the process along.” Heck also speaks to the educational process that was part of the conversion. He explains that Korbel had been accustomed to getting its glass bottles in shipping cases vs. the bulk packs that PET bottles are traditionally shipped in. “Amcor was willing to change their shipping method to accommodate our production line. They ship our 1.75-liter PET size in shipping cases to make it easier for our process,” Heck says. There were also a few minor line changes that were necessary to accommodate the bottle switch. “All we needed to do is bring in the side rails a little and lower the filling heads to accommodate the PET profile,” Heck explains. And although it is too early to quantify the benefits, Heck points out that breakage has been eliminated and freight savings due to lighter weight is now being enjoyed by the distributors. Further, a less noise on the production line and lighter shippers are creating a better work environment for Korbel employees. Headquartered in Guerneville, CA, located in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, Korbel has been synonymous with America’s number one selling premier champagne. In addition to its Korbel brand champagnes and brandies, the company operates three other wineries—Kenwood Vineyards, Lake Sonoma and Valley of the Moon. Amcor PET Packaging is the leading manufacturer of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic packaging for the global food and beverage industries, with 70 manufacturing sites in 20 countries. Its parent company, Amcor Limited, offers a broad range of packaging solutions and ranks as one of the top three packaging companies in the world. Amcor’s extensive operations have grown in 2004 to include 240 plants in 42 countries. It is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and, for the fiscal year ending June 30,2004, had sales revenues of US$7.4 billion.