Ask the Collective
The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
What are the best suppliers and sourcing strategies for sustainable packaging options including heat shrink capsules, pouches, paper bottles, and compostable cups?
The community has tested and recommended several specific sustainable packaging suppliers across different formats: **Heat shrink capsules (biodegradable):** - **Viscose Closures** (viscoseclosures.com/celons-viskrings/) — members are actively moving forward with rebranding using these. Contact via designer for bespoke versions and lead time quotes. **Eco pouches and bag-in-box formats:** - **Smurfit Kappa** — recommended for 5-litre eco pouches and bag-in-box solutions. Members can provide introductions and key learnings on sourcing. - **baginboxshop.co.uk** — another option for bag-in-box formats. **Paper bottles:** - **FrugalPac** — the go-to choice for members scaling sustainably. They offer off-the-shelf bottles that are easy to brand (example: the Avallen bottle), avoiding the complications of fully bespoke designs tied to major corporations. Multiple community members work with FrugalPac for filling/production support. **Compostable cups for festivals and events:** - **Just Peel** (Alison Hobson, 07711 176179, www.justpeel.co.uk / www.cupapeel.co.uk) — pricing around £0.14 per paper pint cup. Tested and trusted by members. - **Branded Cups and Cups Direct** — both used successfully by members ordering 20–50k units at a time with good bulk pricing (targeting around £0.10 per unit). - **Limepack** — biodegradable cups used at 10k+ volumes. Rated for high-strength spirits and hot drinks (though hot-drink performance is limited). **Key caveats:** Paper bottle suppliers (other than FrugalPac) are often tied to major corporate contracts, making bespoke production difficult and expensive. For compostable cups, pricing improves significantly with larger order volumes (20–50k units). Lead times on bespoke heat shrink capsules should be confirmed directly with suppliers.
How can bulk spirit imports be arranged to reduce packaging waste?
Members have successfully arranged bulk spirit imports in large containers to minimise single-bottle packaging waste. The most established route is through **ecoSpirits**, a producer specialising in sustainable spirits, which is distributed in the UK by **Mangrove**. Members report working with ecoSpirits for over a year and participating in their global climate partnership. **Specific tactics and contacts:** - **ecoSpirits + Mangrove** — Contact Zdenek Kastenak (zdenek.kastanek@proofandcompany.com), who leads the eco spirits programme. Members have successfully imported tequila in 200-litre drums this way. - **Bulk drum format** — The standard approach is 200-litre drums, which significantly reduces packaging waste compared to individual bottles. - **Volume requirement** — Members note this works "great if you've got the volume," implying a minimum order threshold applies. **Caveats:** Some spirits are trickier to source this way (mezcal was flagged as potentially difficult, though members note ecoSpirits "somehow made it work" with tequila and it "maybe could work out with mezcal too"). Sourcing non-ecoSpirits products in bulk requires direct negotiation with producers and may not be possible for all categories. Members recommend contacting ecoSpirits directly to discuss what's feasible for your specific spirit type.