Frugalpac and the Frugal Bottle - the world’s first paper bottle for wines and spirits

Larkin PR was retained by British sustainable packaging company Frugalpac, whose mission is to help decarbonise the food and drink industry.

A young SME, Frugalpac wanted global coverage for the launch of its Frugal Bottle, the world’s first paper bottle for wines, spirits and olive oils, made with 94% recycled paperboard.

We promoted LCA data to prove it had a carbon footprint 84% lower than a glass bottle and five times lighter and also commissioned several hand drawn Frugal Bottles from local design agency DA Creative Studio to highlight its 360 degree branding and potential shelf stand out and engaged with wine writers ahead of the launch in June 2020.

Since the Frugal Bottle launched in June 2020, Frugalpac has::

• Secured more than 2000 pieces of global coverage, including The Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Mail, The Times, the FT, the BBC, ITV and French television.

• Received enquiries to make more than 120 million paper bottles for drinks brands around the world

• More than 81 enquiries to buy their Frugal Bottle Assembly Machines – each one can make 2.5 million bottles a year.

• Opened a new 11,000 sq ft factory to meet global demand for the Frugal Bottle and secured further investment.

• Seen 20 different wines, spirits and olive oil brands from around the world move to the Frugal Bottle, including 15 different wines, six gins, eight vodkas, two martinis, a calvados, a tequila and two olive oils.

• Received praise and support from the UK Government’s Department for International Trade and was invited by them to attend the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.

Since Cantina Goccia became the first wine to launch in the Frugal Bottle they’ve:

• Sold more than 50,000 paper bottles around the world including Europe, Canada and Japan. It sold out wherever it was sold

• By selling 50,000 bottles they’ve saved 23 tonnes of carbon.

• It convinced them to release two new wines in the paper bottle – a white wine called Celi (a blend of 60% Grechetto, 20% Vermentino and 20% Chardonnay grapes) and Rosa (a rosé)

• They’ve also committed to releasing 80% of their future wine in paper bottles.

Larkin continues to support launches of new Frugal Bottles around the world, helping more than 12 brands secure coverage for their paper bottles.

Frugalpac’s CEO Malcolm Waugh said:

“We’ve been working with Larkin for two years and its been a great experience. They’ve been involved in everything we do as a business and its like having a PR company in house.

“They’re very engaged and responsive. We find that working with Larkin has got us into greater media spaces than we expected and that’s helped us sell far more product and reach into more markets than we ever imagined.

“Larkin has helped us accelerate the growth of Frugalpac and I would thoroughly recommend them to anyone looking for a PR agency. They’d be top of the list for me.”

To mark the second anniversary of the Frugal Bottle, Larkin PR put together a video on Frugalpac’s growth and the paper bottle revolution.