Tradewinds boosts RTD tea sales 1,400% by converting multipack from glass to Amcor’s PowerFlex PET bottles

Tradewinds Beverage Company, Cincinnati, OH, experiences 1,400% multipack sales growth for its ready-to-drink (RTD) tea since converting from glass to PowerFlex™ polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles from Amcor PET Packaging.

Tradewinds was the first company to commercialize single-serve PowerFlex™ bottles in 2005, which were primarily available in convenience-oriented locations. Two years ago, the company entered the club store channel with 24-count glass multipacks. At the beginning of March, Tradewinds converted that multipack size to PowerFlex and added a 6-count shrink pack of the same bottle for grocery stores. At the end of April, the company also introduced an 8-count PowerFlex multipack for mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart.

Comparing year-to-date numbers for the 24-count, the PowerFlex alternative boosted sales by 1,400% when compared to glass bottles for the same period during the prior year. The company attributes the increase in sales to the attractive, lightweight and breakage-resistant features of the PET bottle which consumers find more desirable.

“We had been studying sales patterns and could see that multipacks were the fastest growing segment for RTD iced teas. Although we had previously introduced glass bottles in a 12-count package, we felt that the time was right to convert to PET and add smaller multipack counts to address different consumer buying preferences between channels,” explains Steve Hatch, vice president of sales-FDM, Tradewinds Tea.

The strategy paid off with sales numbers and positive consumer feedback supporting the decision.

“We wanted to give consumers an ‘on the go’ bottle. By offering them multipacks, they now can consume a bottle when they are at home or take it with them and enjoy our delicious tea at their convenience,” Hatch says.

Tradewinds is one of few RTD beverage companies that actually brews its own tea. Tradewinds’ unique process utilizes an enormous version of a traditional tea bag and specially designed kettles. It carefully steeps the finest blend of real leaf teas in its kettles—just like brewing tea at home, only bigger.

Amcor’s PowerFlex™ bottle technology relies on a revolutionary patented panel-less design which takes hot-fill (185° degrees Fahrenheit) bottle options to a new level. Amcor’s structural design not only eliminates the panels, but unlike competitive containers, PowerFlex™ has a large, completely smooth label panel – free of any kind of ribbing.

Amcor’s technical staff, through a combination of design and manufacturing innovations, has created a patented bottle that absorbs vacuum via a specially designed base. A unique diaphragm within the base draws upward as the liquid cools. It has the geometric characteristics to enable the inverted cone-shaped diaphragm to deflect upward as the vacuum is created.

Unlike conventional hot-fill PET alternatives, PowerFlex™ bottles do not have sidewall vacuum panels, making them easier to label. Packers don’t have to worry about mislabeling—missing the vertical bars in applying labels. Nor do they have to deal with the ripple effect labeling over panels can cause.

The Tradewinds multipacks feature an attractive 7-color, flexo printed, three-layer coextruded polyethylene shrinkwrap, supplied by Bemis. The 24-count is currently available in Sweet, Lemon or Unsweetened Tea varieties. The 8-count comes in Sweet Tea and the 6-count is available in Sweet or Green Tea flavors.

Founded in 1993, The Tradewinds Beverage Company prides itself in freshly brewing its tea which literally seals in the flavor at the time of bottling. This creates a “fresh tea drinking experience without all the hassle of making it yourself.” Tradewinds kettle brewed tea will amaze even the most discerning tea drinkers.