We have lift off: UK’s first wine canning line launched by Greencroft Bottling-Ardagh partnership

27 Nov 2019 --- With demand for canned wines on the rise, contract wine packer Greencroft Bottling has invested over £2 million (US$2.6 million) in the UK’s first large-scale wine canning line. Working closely with Ardagh Group Metal Beverage Europe, the can filling line is initially focusing on the popular 200ml and 250ml slimline cans but is also ready to handle Ardagh’s new 187ml Wine Can format. The line has gone live at Greencroft Bottling Company in County Durham, boasting a filler speed of 17,000 cans per hour and offering both still and carbonated filling for wine, soft drinks and RTDs.

“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 percent year on year in Western Europe,” explains Mark Satchwell, Managing Director of Greencroft Bottling.

According to Emma Campbell, PR and Marketing Manager for Lanchester Wines, one of the first customers to use the new facility, there are two factors driving demand for canned wines: sustainability and changes in lifestyle.The new line boasts a filler speed of 17,000 cans per hour.

“Aluminum is a permanent material and it recycles forever; a beverage can could be back on the shelf in just 60 days,” Campbell tells PackagingInsights. European Aluminium recently announced that recycling rates for aluminum beverage cans in the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland rose to a record high 74.5 percent in 2017, a 2.3 percent increase from 2016.

“Also, we know younger drinkers express the least confidence in choosing wine, so being able to offer such a variety of choice at a more affordable price – or in a smaller format packaging such as a can or 187ml bottle – reduces the purchase risk and encourages consumers to try something different,” she adds.

Lanchester Wines’ popular Nika Tiki Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc Rosé will be first down the new canning line, followed by its Hacienda de Calidad Argentinian Malbec. 

Adriana Escobar, Product Manager at Ardagh Group, Metal Beverage Europe, adds to the list of benefits that can packaging can offer. Canned wines can be consumed at different venues where other packaging materials cannot, she says, and they are airtight, lightproof and unbreakable.Sustainability and changes in lifestyle are driving demand for canned wines, says Emma Campbell, PR and Marketing Manager for Lanchester Wines. 

“In comparison to normal cans, Ardagh cans have special specifications for optimum protection of the wine throughout the entire supply chain and are sealed with a special wine end,” Escobar notes.

Ardagh is “just about” to launch its new Wine Can size 187ml, Escobar confirms. Its capacity is a personal wine serve of 187ml – a quarter of a standard 75cl bottle and an attractive option for the increasing number of consumers who wish to enjoy a single drink with a meal or while on-the-go. The 187ml format will allow wineries to sell single-serve canned wine in new markets and channels, supporting category growth.

“For the first time, European wineries will be able to sell canned wine in the US in single packs by using the new Wine Can format. European airlines could further decrease carbon footprint when serving 187ml wine cans as this pack offers both efficient logistics due to shape and weight, as well as the highest recycling rates in Europe without compromising quality,” she explains.

“The best technology available”
Ardagh provided technical support for the line commissioning and set-up and established criteria for wine compatibility testing. Greencroft Bottling chose to work with Ardagh because of “its extensive track record in the wine industry and its unmatched expertise in wine-safe can specifications.”

The resulting canning line at Greencroft Bottling’s facility in County Durham features a KHS Innofill Can C filler with several high-tech specifications:

• 21 valves and a three-head Ferrum Seamer 
• Compact monoblock
• Valve manifold integrated into the frame in a compact design
• Hygienically designed filler carousel accessible for cleaning, disinfection & maintenance
• Electromagnetic inductive flow metering for exact filling volumes
• Hygienic, flavor-resistant seals in the filling valve

With the quality of the end product paramount, high-tech monitoring systems are built-in throughout the process. These include:

• X-ray fill level detection 
• Filler/seamer monitoring system
• Dedicated CIP unit
• High definition double seam analyzer 
• Ionized air

Recycling rates for aluminum beverage cans in the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland rose to a record high 74.5 percent in 2017.“The investment in our new canning line has been substantial, sourcing the best technology available and taking our time to do it right,” adds Satchwell. “We’re a family business looking to the future, so it’s imperative we do things once and do them well.”

Harnessing the wind
Thanks to a big investment in sustainable energy by its parent company Lanchester Group, Greencroft’s bottling lines are powered by wind turbines. Aluminum cans are already a sustainable, uncomplicated packaging solution which appeals to all age groups and lifestyle choices – from the environmentally-conscious Millennial through to Baby Boomers and Gen X-ers seeking convenience and variety – and Greencroft Bottling’s commitment to using renewable energy for its bottling and canning processes reduces the carbon footprint of each individual product even further.

“We believe every business has a duty of care to minimize its impact on the environment. We identified our biggest opportunity was to minimize and eventually eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels,” Campbell tells PackagingInsights.

To date, the Lanchester Group, which includes Greencroft Bottling and Lanchester Wines, has invested over £8 million (US$10.3 million) in renewable heat and energy generation at its sites across the North East of England and today the business is powered almost completely by renewable wind and solar energy.

By Joshua Poole