Working with Soft Drink Bottlers

Get the most out of working with soft drink bottlers

Soft drink bottlers can help you take an idea and make it into an actual product. They have teams of experts that cover the whole process of bottling beverages. From the conception of an idea to the research and development to the packaging of a product, bottlers can be the key to success for any soft drink company.

Soda bottlers often have the appropriate equipment and knowledge to bottle more than just soda. Whether you produce dairy beverages or nutritional products, soda bottlers can likely be helpful to you too. Take the following into consideration when working with soft drink bottlers:

1. Be familiar with the ingredients that you want, or don't want, soft drink bottlers to use in your products.

2. Be sure you know about what the different processing methods are that beverage bottlers use.

3. Know that there are numerous beverage bottling companies that can help you to make the most out of your product line.

 

Know the ingredients that you do and don't want a soft drink manufacturer to use in your products

If there is a certain claim or nutritional profile that you need to meet for your product's or company's standards, be sure you know everything the soft drink bottler is going to use in your product. You are well within your rights as a customer to ask for a complete listing of exactly what ingredients are to go into your product.
Try: American Beverage Association outlines what is included in a typical soft drink. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has specific guidelines for health claims depending on the type of product.

Familiarize yourself with the processing methods that soda bottling companies use

Depending on the type of products you sell, the processing methods may vary to meet the needs of your product. The nature of your product is important to the method that can be used to process and package the beverage. It is important to know the difference in processing methods that your soft drink bottler uses to ensure the integrity of your product will not be compromised. For example, hot filling is used to process and fill beverages into bottles and other beverage packaging. This process can only be used for beverages and packages that can withstand the extreme heat. Aseptic processing is primarily used for natural and chilled products, as they are processed in a sterile environment that allows for a longer shelf life without the use of preservatives.
Try: Millipore walks through the different steps of beverage processing. FoodProcessing.com discusses aseptic food and beverage processing.

Choose soft drink bottlers that meet the needs of your company

It is important to do your research and determine which beverage bottler is best equipped to handle your specific product line. Some drink bottling companies will be more familiar with colors, flavors and carbonation, while if you are using fruit juice, for example, in your product you may want to find a bottling company that is most familiar with the processing and packaging of a product that contains fruit juice.
Try: Southeast Atlantic Beverage manufacturers waters, carbonated and noncarbonated beverages. General Beverages specializes in the manufacturing of colas.

 

• Soft drink bottlers can also help you with the labeling process. This part of the development may need to be a collaborative effort between your company and theirs to ensure all of the claims are being met and the regulations are being followed, but it may be a smoother process if this part is done together.

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