Berlin Packaging: Matteo Vitale about innovative and sustainable packaging solutions

Berlin Packaging is the world’s largest Hybrid Packaging Supplier®, specializing in the supply of glass, plastic and metal packaging and closures. Headquartered in Chicago, USA, the company develops packaging solutions in the beverage industry for well-known companies such as Dingle Distillery, Rhumerie Karukera and IOVEM Spirits Group. Together with these companies, Berlin Packaging 2023 presented itself at the Bar Convent Berlin and showcased a number of products in which sustainability plays a particularly important role.

Matteo Vitale is Chief Sales Officer for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa). We spoke to him in an interview about the latest innovations, the topic of sustainability, the “Packaging your Story” advertising campaign and the future of packaging solutions for the spirits industry.

How has the spirits packaging industry changed in recent years? What trends do you see for the future of spirits packaging?

Matteo Vitale: The spirits category is in a time of transition as the world settles into a new post-pandemic normal. One of the main shifts we’ve been noticing recently is that customers become more conscious regarding sustainability, therefore, we receive more and more requests both from big manufacturers and craft distillers.

At Berlin Packaging, we have chosen to put sustainability at the centre of our strategy, precisely because we are aware that it is an indispensable priority. We are the world’s largest Hybrid Packaging Supplier® and we feel we must drive the future of sustainable packaging, accelerating the creation of value and pursuing our vision of being a reference player also in terms of sustainability.

Another trend in spirits is premiumization, spirits producers are capitalizing on consumers’ desire for indulgent experiences by continuing to introduce premium products and elevated experiences. Thanks to your catalog of high-end spirits packaging and extensive design capabilities, our team can propose and even create the disruptive and beautiful packaging solutions for each product.

Also one of the important tendencies in spirits is search for packaging that represents with brand identity and make the product stand out. Here Berlin Packaging represents a 360º partner capable of satisfying producers’ needs. Berlin Packaging | Spirits is supported by Studio One Eleven, the in-house design consultancy, which seamlessly fuses the attributes of a design agency with the precision of a manufacturer to breathe life into groundbreaking products. Each project is carefully evaluated and managed with a comprehensive approach.

Berlin Packaging is known for its diverse range of packaging solutions. Could you highlight some sustainable options that are particularly worth mentioning for the spirits industry?

Matteo Vitale: At Berlin Packaging, we have various options to offer: in our portfolio we have stock solutions that have sustainability elements available to all our customers, and we can also develop bespoke products based on sustainable design criteria for a specific brand aimed to satisfy its unique needs.

Regarding stock solutions, I would highlight Helium Mixology, our in-house developed lightweight spirits bottle with a significant recycled glass content (up to 75%) and with a dedicated carbon compensation program to offset emissions generated in production, transportation and final disposal. We can also pursue disruptive projects also in conservative markets as wine. This year we’ve done an impressive project for Cantine Ceci – we developed “NEXT”, an innovative aluminium bottle designed to contain a sparkling wine. Aluminium is a sustainable material: endlessly recyclable, light in weight and shatter-proof. Our in-house experts were able to design an aluminium bottle that can fit a classic cork with a metal wire hood.

One more example of sustainable wine packaging is Aurelia, a glass wine bottle from the Itinera collection. The energy required for the manufacturing process derives from biomethane, a renewable fuel certified by Ecopower, and the residual CO₂ emissions have been compensated with a dedicated program.

It is worth noting that Berlin Packaging works with prestigious clients such as Dingle Distillery, Rhumerie Karukera and Iovem Spirits Group. How have these partnerships influenced Berlin Packaging’s approach to packaging solutions?

Matteo Vitale: These partnerships are a demonstration of we can support our customers as a one-stop shop partner. This means that we combine the best elements of Design & Innovation, Manufacturing Services and Customers Solutions in the packaging industry with the aim of accompanying our customers in choosing and even creating the right packaging for their needs. Our participation at Bar Convent Berlin 2023 together with Dingle Distillery, an Irish distillery presenting Gin and Vodka packaging; a historic distillery from Guadeloupe specializing in Rhum Rhumerie Karukera; and IOVEM Spirits Group, a young Italian spirits company, demonstrates our capabilities to offer a perfect solution to different types of brands.

Through our joint approach we are able to offer the optimal packaging solution for every need: innovative, sustainable, cutting-edge and customized. Our strategy of complete openness towards our customers allows us to work alongside them to offer all the sector-specific expertise that only a company like Berlin Packaging can offer. Of course, the project always focuses on the spirits product, enhancing the brand identity in conjunction with the history and special characteristics of the spirit.

Solutions developed for the Spirits market produced by Berlin Packaging incorporate three crucial components into the company’s established operational framework. These components include market intelligence, a collaborative design thinking approach to innovation, where Studio One Eleven plays a pivotal role, alongside input from sales, marketing, and other industry experts. Additionally, the packaging is aligned with end-market dynamics, creating a comprehensive value proposition designed to link the packaging to the liquid. A value proposition is articulated, which aims to position the product in the proper context supported by the relevant packaging.

With over 40 years of experience in the spirits industry, how does Berlin Packaging manage to stay ahead of emerging trends and continually set new standards in the packaging industry?

Matteo Vitale: Studio One Eleven that plays a key role in innovation. When a customer comes to us, its professionals carefully evaluate and manage each project with a comprehensive approach: product design and planning, prototyping, decoration, secondary packaging, and branding. All in-line with the latest market trends and consumers preferences.

Studio One Eleven consistently achieves effective outcomes for each of our customers by leveraging a business model that maximizes the entire product creation value chain. Our substantial capabilities, size, and independence from any specific material or production process grant us the freedom to continually seek the best solutions.

Can you elaborate on the concept behind the “Packaging your Story” campaign and how it aims to connect beverage producers with their audience?

Matteo Vitale: The new Spirits campaign aims to visually translate our focus on the stories of the producers of different liquids contained in each bottle. At the core of this multi-subject campaign is our corporate range of bottles, and the stories of the spirits producers who inspired them.

One element of the campaign is the creative process: each bottle is the result of a meeting of the minds, ideas, customers and Berlin Packaging designers who use methodology and passion to study and create the finished product. On the other hand, the campaign presents the Berlin Packaging bottles themselves. Each one tells its own story, linked to a process that incorporates the raw materials, methods, traditions, distilleries and consumers.

The campaign emphasizes the stories behind each bottle. Could you give an example of a particularly compelling narrative that resonates with both the brand and the consumer?

Matteo Vitale: The case of Argotier, a French company specializing in organic “ready-to-drink” cocktails, is particularly interesting because with the Helium Mixology they found a product that already meets their needs in terms of sustainability.

Another good example is the NEXT bottle created for Cantine Ceci. The customer was looking for a sustainable solution with a recognizable design to enhance its flagship products and communicate the essence of the company and found in Berlin the perfect partner to meet these requirements.

True to the motto: We grow along the spirits brands we serve. What does the future hold for Berlin Packaging?

Matteo Vitale: Innovation and design are important values for us in order to develop increasingly efficient, high quality, sustainable and cost-effective solutions. We intend to proceed in this direction by constantly evolving our offer with our distinctive creative approach to the spirits market based on design thinking that guarantees the success of our projects.

We can serve our customers at any phase of their journey: starting from a supply of small quantities of corporate products for local distilleries, to bottles personalization and bespoke packaging development for craft distillers, independent brands and large producers.

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+++ We thank Matteo Vitale for the open and very interesting interview! If you also have an interesting brand, then we should talk. Just send us an email with the subject “about-drinks interview” to redaktion@about-drinks.com – we look forward to hearing from you! +++