Vita Cola has had a new returnable individual bottle on the market since 1 April. O-I Glasspack produces the 0.33 litre glass bottle at its plant in Holzminden. The sustainable packaging in a handy, robust design is intended to appeal to the young target group. The trends in the convenience sector and the needs of the catering trade were taken into account.
Product development for the new glass bottle
Around a year passed between the initial discussions and the handover of the first bottles. The development of the reusable bottle began with a study of competitors and the company's own history. This was followed by rendering, pre-selection of two design drafts and a consumer test. The final product fulfils the requirements in terms of ergonomics, linking to old forms and setting itself apart from the competition. The slightly bulky design, the indentations on the neck and the tactile lettering on the belly make it instantly recognisable.
The white bottle glass can be refilled several times and can be melted down again endlessly. The transparency whets the appetite even at the point of sale, and as glass leaves the flavour unadulterated, enjoyment is guaranteed.
„The design and development of the new bottle went very smoothly thanks to the many years of experience on both sides. We were able to get the follow-up production on the line within just one week according to specific customer requirements. This is extraordinary, as lead times are usually much longer, but our plant in Holzminden is very flexible, we use the best technologies and our employees are very committed - whether in design, development or directly at the furnace“ Stefan Monden, Head of Product Development at O-I in Holzminden.
Multi Gob Manufacturing
Thanks to the smart and intuitive „Multi Gob Manufacturing“ technology, the glass expert can offer highly flexible production batch sizes and production ranges, because it can fine-tune individual parameters precisely according to the design. O-I also relies on the flexible and scalable technology PTC Creo, one of the best CAD suites for concept development. Of course, we keep a close eye on the market. Glass packaging has been experiencing a renaissance for some years now due to its qualitative and sustainable properties. However, a second trend is that small glass bottles are becoming increasingly popular for catering and on-the-go consumption. And increasingly so with a younger clientele.
„We are thus offering our brand users an even greater variety of packs that correspond to specific consumption situations and are inviting young people in particular to get more involved with the brand again“ Paul Korn, Managing Director of Lichtenauer Mineralquellen, to which Vita Cola belongs.
Vita Cola has been around since 1958. After reunification, like many soft drinks, it was bottled exclusively in the 0.7 litre fountain bottle. Today, the brand's products are available in nine different bottles.
[infotext icon]
O-I's global headquarters are located in Perrysburg, Ohio. The company is the partner of choice for many of the world's leading food and beverage brands. With more than 26,500 employees at 77 production facilities in 23 countries, O-I is making an unrivalled global impact and achieved sales of USD 6.9 billion in 2018.
About Vita Cola
Vita Cola is a brand of Thüringer Waldquell Mineralbrunnen GmbH from Schmalkalden (Thuringia), a company of the Hassia Group. In addition, two Hassia subsidiaries in Lichtenau (Saxony) and Bad Doberan (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) bottle Vita Cola. 19 non-alcoholic soft drinks are available under the Vita Cola umbrella brand: four types of cola, a cola/orange mix, seven lemonades and seven energy drinks. The portfolio also includes six sugar-free soft drinks.
