PackStratSample January 31, 2011 : Page 6

January 31, 2011 www.packstrat.com 6 WINE MAKER: NEW BRAND BLAZES TRAIL FOR ALUMINUM BOTTLE Potentially contributing to the new era for aluminum bottles, a Napa Valley, CA, vineyard has become one of the first in the United States to launch a wine brand that exclusively marries a metal container to wine. The vineyard, JT Wines , is now launching a new brand, FLASQ Wines , packaged solely in a 375ml aluminum bottle. The bottle, produced by Exal Corp. , Youngstown, OH, is among the first to be made in the United States for wine in aluminum and is a landmark in its smaller, half-bottle size, said Jennifer Schreiber, vp of sales and marketing for FLASQ Wines. The company hopes to boost sales of wine for everyday occasions such as backyard picnics, tailgating at sporting events, and biking or boating trips, as well as for use in stadium venues where plastic wine bottles are sometimes sold. While the casual wine connoisseur is one market for the new bottle, FLASQ and JT Wines are also going after the beer consumer who might not have other convenient options. A major market for aluminum bottles in general, and this wine in particular, is the millennial audience, a younger generation that grew up with wine on the table and is more active than its older peers, Schreiber said. “Oftentimes, when this crowd goes to a game or is engaged in an active lifestyle, all that is available is beer,” she said. “There are not great wine options.” The container’s shatterproof feature makes the aluminum bottle more suited for wine on-the-go than that of a glass bottle, while offering less weight in transport. And compared to plastic alternatives, the aluminum bottle quickly chills the wine and does not allow it to easily degrade in quality as it may when ultraviolet light penetrates a more-transparent plastic bottle, Schreiber said. Outside of a coating to protect the wine from tasting like metal, the containers do not need added barrier properties, keeping the price point at a low $5.99-$7.99 a bottle for FLASQ’s Chardonnay and Merlot varietals. The wine’s wide mouth, 38mm screw cap also offers an added benefit, that of allowing the wine to aerate as it is poured, she added. The aluminum bottle is emerging as a key contender in specialty beverages but has not yet played a factor in Newly wine. However, launched Schreiber said FLASQ Wines, that aluminum in an aluminum bottles have bottle, offer the been large sellers slogan “great wine, any time.” for years in Europe, offering a premium feel that plastics cannot. “We just feel that aluminum has a little more panache than plastic,” she said. Packaging Strategies’ Perspective: FLASQ is launching now in 20 U.S. states, starting on the East Coast and heading west. Another target is the hospitality industry at both restaurants and resorts. In any case, aluminum bottles could help the industry gain some volume at the expense of other materials. P S COUPLING POWER WITH INFORMATION FOR INTELLIGENT PACKAGING Remember when the microwave oven revolutionized the way people cooked in the kitchen? Wireless-charged work surfaces could soon have the same effect. Fulton Innovation , a subsidiary of Alticor Corp. , showed attendees at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) how a soup can cooks itself thanks to charging technology printed onto the packaging. By pulling a tab and placing the container on an eCoupled -enabled countertop, the contents will heat to a low, medium, or high temperature, depending on the user’s preference. eCoupled is Fulton’s intelligent inductive coupling technology. According to Dave Baarman, director of Advanced Technologies at Fulton Innovation, the printing technology is not only being tested with soup packaging, but with other serums, creams, and Fulton continued on the bottom of Page 7 Charging technology that can be managed wirelessly could help cook soup inside a can. Unauthorized reproduction in whole or in part prohibited without permission of publisher

Showing Its Metal

Potentially contributing to the new era for aluminum bottles, a Napa Valley, CA, vineyard has become one of the first in the United States to launch a wine brand that exclusively marries a metal container to wine. The vineyard, JT Wines, is now launching a new brand, FLASQ Wines, packaged solely in a 375ml aluminum bottle.The bottle, produced by Exal Corp., Youngstown, OH, is among the first to be made in the United States for wine in aluminum and is a landmark in its smaller, half-bottle size, said Jennifer Schreiber, vp of sales and marketing for FLASQ Wines. The company hopes to boost sales of wine for everyday occasions such as backyard picnics, tailgating at sporting events, and biking or boating trips, as well as for use in stadium venues where plastic wine bottles are sometimes sold. While the casual wine connoisseur is one market for the new bottle, FLASQ and JT Wines are also going after the beer consumer who might not have other convenient options. A major market for aluminum bottles in general, and this wine in particular, is the millennial audience, a younger generation that grew up with wine on the table and is more active than its older peers, Schreiber said. “Oftentimes, when this crowd goes to a game or is engaged in an active lifestyle, all that is available is beer,” she said. “There are not great wine options.” The container’s shatterproof feature makes the aluminum bottle more suited for wine on-the-go than that of a glass bottle, while offering less weight in transport. And compared to plastic alternatives, the aluminum bottle quickly chills the wine and does not allow it to easily degrade in quality as it may when ultraviolet light penetrates a more-transparent Plastic bottle, Schreiber said. Outside of a coating to protect the wine from tasting like metal, the containers do not need added barrier properties, keeping the price point at a low $5.99-$7.99 a bottle for FLASQ’s Chardonnay and Merlot varietals. The wine’s wide mouth, 38mm screw cap also offers an added benefit, that of allowing the wine to aerate as it is poured, she added. The aluminum bottle is emerging as a key contender in specialty beverages but has not yet played a factor in wine. However, Schreiber said that aluminum bottles have been large sellers for years in Europe, offering a premium feel that plastics cannot. “We just feel that aluminum has a little more panache than plastic,” she said. Packaging Strategies’ Perspective: FLASQ is launching now in 20 U.S. states, starting on the East Coast and heading west. Another target is the hospitality industry at both restaurants and resorts. In any case, aluminum bottles could help the industry gain some volume at the expense of other materials.

The Wireless Soup

Remember when the microwave oven revolutionized the way people cooked in the kitchen? Wireless-charged work surfaces could soon have the same effect. Fulton Innovation, a subsidiary of Alticor Corp., showed attendees at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) how a soup can cooks itself thanks to charging technology printed onto the packaging. By pulling a tab and placing the container on an eCoupled-enabled countertop, the contents will heat to a low, medium, or high temperature, depending on the user’s preference. ECoupled is Fulton’s intelligent inductive coupling technology. According to Dave Baarman, director of Advanced Technologies at Fulton Innovation, the printing technology is not only being tested with soup packaging, but with other serums, creams, and Moisurizers that must be heated to certain temperatures to improve efficiency. “This wireless power technology using print ink is filling a gap that RFID has left open,” said Baarman. “Prices of RFID have come down, and processes have improved, but we are still not at the point that allows for full adoption in the CPG market.” In the past year, Fulton has been working with partners in various industries to bring eCoupled technology to market and move beyond charging low-powered devices without cables.As a founding member of the Wireless Power Consortium, Fulton has been working to develop the international standard for wireless charging — Qi (pronounced “chee”). Thanks to the work of the consortium, Pike Research predicts that the wireless charging and transmission market, which is currently worth less than $1bn, will hit close to $12bn in the next decade, with consumer electronics and industrial applications being the largest markets. According to Baarman, packages that cook themselves are only the beginning. “Smart packaging that provides power to the internal product and offers informational feedback is on the horizon,” he said. To that end, Fulton’s CES display also featured an eCoupled-integrated cereal box that allows consumers to manage and monitor their food wirelessly through a PC or mobile phone, enabling people to keep close tabs on expiration dates, tamper indications, and quantity levels. Packaging Strategies Perspective: When power and information are coupled without cords and cables, many packaging opportunities can be realized. Suppliers have high expectations for how they want their packages to perform, but as yet, there has not been a cost-efficient way to power and deliver information to and from packaging.

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