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Single-serve PET stemware for wines

Induction sealing and the addition of an oxygen scavenger help ensure success of this innovative container approach in retail and foodservice venues.

OPENING IT. To open the innovative PET container, consumers tear the perforated shrink label strip, twist off the closure, and peel open the foil/film membrane; the closure can also be used as a coaster.
OPENING IT. To open the innovative PET container, consumers tear the perforated shrink label strip, twist off the closure, and peel open the foil/film membrane; the closure can also be used as a coaster.

Zipz Inc., New Brunswick, NJ, has successfully launched its PET-packed, single-serve wines into a range of new retail and foodservice markets. The widely publicized wine packaging concept, designed in collaboration with SnS Design, Inc., is unique and elegantly stylish. But it took some ingenuity, determination, and teamwork to make the packaging happen with consistent efficiency, seal integrity, and shelf-life protection assurance.

It helped that Zipz had a powerful partner as it developed its innovative package: Fetzer Vineyards of Hopland, CA. That’s where a custom-designed proprietary packaging line fills, seals, labels, and case packs the single-serve wines. A Zipz licensee, Fetzer sells its Fetzer Crimson and Fetzer Quartz brands in the PET glass.

The wine glasses are injection molded of PET by Envino. Sidewall thickness may vary slightly but is up to 0.110 inch. Each container weighs 83 g.

The original design incorporated a hot-iron conduction seal of a foil-based membrane to the rim of the container. The problem with conduction sealing was that there were too many leakers. The headspace in each container is backflushed with nitrogen gas to drive out ambient air that could have a negative effect on wine quality and shelf life. This backflushed nitrogen causes a certain amount of internal pressure to build up in the headspace, and the conduction seal was just not able to hold.

J. Henry Scott, Founder and CEO of Zipz Inc., notes, “Conduction sealing and PET were not a good mix. Induction sealing is a superior technology. It produces more consistent seals and fewer failures.”

Scott enlisted the consulting services of Bruce Cleevely, retired Vice President of Product Development for Berry Plastics and holder of several closure patents, to conquer the shortcomings of the original container. It wasn’t just wine leakage from the container lip that needed to be addressed. Also problematic was oxygen migration through the PET container body.

Cleevely addressed the seal integrity issue by working with Selig. Together they determined that the Selig Lift n’ Peel™ foil/polyester film induction cap seal liner was the best option for this product and packaging application. The system provides hermetic seals to inhibit leaking and oxidation, and the lidding membranes are easy to apply and peel off.

Two other significant adjustments were made. First, Envino switched to a different mix of PET that incorporates oxygen-scavenging minerals. Second, the injection molding tooling was modified so that threads became part of the container finish. Threads were added to the injection molded polypropylene closure, too. On top of the much better membrane seal integrity that comes with induction sealing, the threaded closure brings additional sealing pressure into the mix.

Videos from Enercon Industries Corp.
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