PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2012

BOTTLE MAKING 22 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 11/12 www.petpla.net R&D/Leverage expertise in new wine packaging concept Wine on-the-go The technical expertise of R&D/Leverage, especially in the beverage sector, has helped a visionary entrepreneur successfully launch his “now-why-didn’t-I-think-of-that!” product in just a few months. The novel idea rethinks the limitations of popular wine packaging and has positioned the company for eventual national distribution. The people and the idea When Mark Zimmer took a sip from a stale glass of wine, poured from a bottle that had been opened just a few nights before, he knew he could invent an environmentally friendly product that would be a better packaging solution for wine. He started sketching and the idea for “Stacked Wines” was born. He teamed up with two fellow University of California Paul Merage School of Business MBA students – Jodi Wynn and Doug Allan – to work to develop a product that would offer quality taste, simple style and convenience. They created a 100% recyclable packaging that not only preserves wine longer but allows wine drink- ers to enjoy single serve glasses, at home or away. Matt Zimmer previously worked for Niagara Water, one of the larg- est bottlers in the United States, and has experience in product design and manufacturing equipment selection. He developed Stacked Wines’ propri- etary technology, Vinoware - a totally recyclable container made of 100% virgin PET - and oversees all aspects of the company’s technology, produc- tion, and strategic positioning. Development What the team envisaged and sketched out was a practical and easily-stored four-pack of stem-less wine glasses that stack vertically, to form the equivalent of one full 750ml bottle of wine. Each individual serv- ing was to communicate the look and feel of a real wine glass, deliv- ered with the durability of plastic. A foil seal would preserve the wine’s freshness within each single serving and an overwrap would deliver brand messaging and consumer product information. The compact, stacked format, Zimmer believed, would offer retailers more effective use of shelf- space and logistics, as it would allow 30% more cases per truckload than other format options.