T . Freemantle Can Cartoner sparkles at Belvoir
T . Freemantle ’ s Automatic Beverage Multipack Machine has played a pivotal role in Belvoir Farm ’ s move into canning , which has seen the soft drinks manufacturer invest £ 2m in a state-of-the-art canning line at its Leicestershire on-farm factory . Thanks to the machine ’ s unrivalled ability to carton virtually any can size into any multipack configuration , the fast and flexible system has enabled Belvoir to embark on an innovation drive that has sent sales of its canned drinks on an upwards trajectory .
Can culture
The popularity of the canned RTD ( Ready To Drink ) format has surged in recent years , on the back of changes in market culture and the rise of conscious consumerism . Light and convenient , cans are perfect for outdoor occasions , which
26 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk have become a way of life since the pandemic . They are also one of the most sustainable forms of packaging as they can be recycled time and time again .
Whilst the canned RTD market is dominated by alcoholic offerings , there is huge demand for more sophisticated soft options , such as mocktails and botanical sodas . Premium soft drink producer Belvoir Farm had been servicing this market with a range of cans produced by a co-packer . However , by 2022 , the company recognised it needed to bring can production in-house to fully capitalise on the canned RTD opportunity .
“ Our canned portfolio was growing at such a pace that we needed to invest in in-house production . Up until that point , we hadn ’ t truly committed to the category ,” says Martin Reynolds , head of engineering & project leader at Belvoir .
Ready to innovate
Belvoir wanted to roll out a number of new lines in canned format to drive the growth of its brand . It had plans to launch its RTD mocktails in 250ml cans alongside a new range of light soft drinks in 330ml slim cans and botanicals in 150ml cans . It also wanted to move into the multipack space , with fridge-friendly four packs ( 4 x 330ml slim cans ) and sixpacks ( 6 x 150ml mixer cans ).
“ We started looking at equipment for the canning line and when it came to the cartoning machine , the same name kept cropping up in conversation : T . Freemantle ,” recalls Martin .