Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/670021
3 6 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a y - J u n e 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m with friends, it reflects pre- mium wine." One issue glass manu- facturers in the United States face is the lack of a regular supply of broken glass at a con- sistent price, says Giovanni (SPG manu- factures in France). "It's hard to run a manufacturing opera- tion when you're not sure of supply. It's getting better, but there's a lot of room for improvement in the collection pro- cess so recycled glass becomes available and can be reused." ate lighter, yet durable, glass. SPG Packaging, a Fairfield, Calif., subsidiary of global glass manufacturer Verallia, reviewed and adapted the entire production process to create its Ecova bottle line, says Jean-Pierre Giovanni, vice president and gen- eral manager. The cost savings of the bottles is around 10%, and corporate wineries are the biggest custom- ers. The company cre- ated a lighter bottle at around 400 grams (the range is 400 to 800 for sparkling wine) that still has a premium l o o k a n d f e e l . " T h e bottle has a taller pres- ence, and all that adds weight to it," he says. "When consumers have it on their dining tables ADVENTUROUS IDEAS There are some adventurous companies that aren't just reusing conventional materials, but creat- ing entirely new ones. Ecovative, based in Green Island, N.Y., has pioneered a method of creating packaging materials from myceli- um — basically, mushroom fungus — combined with clean agricul- tural waste. The mycelium "eats" the waste and makes new fibers, which are then broken down and put into molds. The mycelium grows around the molds, leav- ing no air pockets, which means a form-fitted packaging solution. The company offers a one-bottle and a three-bottle shipper, with options for horizontal or vertical placement. The horizontal version has thermal protection; the verti- cal doesn't, but it's less expensive. They'll also do custom designs for large orders. We're far more than a print shop. We're thinkers and craftsmen balancing 54 years of experience with cutting edge innovation. Graphics to market by! customer Focused Strategy Driven #wright_global_graphics #retailive WRIGHT ® Global Graphics NORTH ROLINA • GEORGIA • HONG KONG • CHINA 800-678-9019 • www.wrightglobalgraphics.com The Celeste Ecova sparkling wine bottle (SGP Packaging by Verallia) is made with lighter yet durable glass.