Today, in Western Canada, B.C.’s Bullseye Packaging Services targets that same notion: using the physicality and skill of well-trained staff complemented by machinery, generating the best of both worlds to obtain speed, attention to detail and quality results.

Bullseye began in a small Kelowna warehouse before moving to a warehouse in Chilliwack to support one of their largest, multi-national clients. With over 20 years of ongoing mix pack assembly for the North American alcohol industry, and shrink and bundle wrapping for the alcohol and no-alcohol beverage industry, “Bullseye has always followed Good Manufacturing Processes as they relate to secondary packing, and maintains all necessary licensing and rigorous pest control,” said Adrian Houser, director of operations.

A couple of years after opening their B.C. facility, Bullseye again expanded to Calgary, Alta., where another large client needed support. Obtaining the necessary licensing to work with liquor packs in Alberta was no easy feat. However, Bullseye president Stephen Peters made history by obtaining the first non-manufacturer of alcoholic products in Alberta to acquire a Class E AGLC license for handling liquor products. This kind of resilience continues to forge the Bullseye “can-do” culture.

Flexible and sensible

With the proliferation of craft breweries and specialty RTDs, Bullseye has responded to the need for flexibility. They offer practical strategies for beverage brands of all sizes to improve shelf presence. “Bullseye had enjoyed the benefit of long-term partnerships with all of the major breweries since our doors first opened,” said Houser. The liquor market has witnessed the expansion of beer flavours, low or non-alcoholic offerings, RTDs and so much more in between.

An average of over one million mix packs gets assembled annually for the big players, but Bullseye knows all brands need to start somewhere. This is why we happily invite craft brewers and new-to-market beverage brands to lean on us to process the mix pack assembly of smaller orders, too.

Eira Braun-Labossiere, Bullseye Packaging Services

“It makes no difference to us,” said Eira Braun-Labossiere, customer care leader. “Give us your product, your packaging and your preferences, and we will expertly transform those components into beautiful finished goods you will be proud to sell on [the] shelf. An average of over one million mix packs gets assembled annually for the big players, but Bullseye knows all brands need to start somewhere. This is why we happily invite craft brewers and new-to-market beverage brands to lean on us to process the mix pack assembly of smaller orders, too.”

The advantages of collaboration

While a manufacturer’s instinct may be to keep their repacking in-house, a cost study will likely show that collaborating with a trusted co-packer will save the brand money. There are many reasons why manufacturers choose to collaborate with Bullseye:

• Cost and convenience – Clients reduce high upfront costs by eliminating the need to spend money on researching and purchasing equipment; buying or leasing more warehouse space; hiring, training and managing more of their own staff and the administration going into all of the above.
• Expertise – Bullseye frees its clients from having to determine how to arrange the most efficient production line, then train and manage staff accordingly. Instead, clients take advantage of Bullseye’s experienced assembly team so they may focus instead on their own core strengths like manufacturing, marketing, etc.
• Damage reduction – It’s in the best interest of a co-packer to put high-quality control practices in place. Bullseye prioritizes the detection of any incoming product damage, as well as any printing issues or inconsistencies spotted on the product or carton and flags it for customers.

Specialty packs galore

Seasonal packs or special promo packs mean flexibility and, like a longbowman, Bullseye has the muscle memory to be flexible with strength. Clients rely on Bullseye to adapt to new initiatives ranging from incorporating a gift with purchase into packing, creating a two-pack inside of a mother carton or packing cans into assigned spaces for calendar count down trial packs.

Bullseye’s Chilliwack facility installed a tray former and bundle wrapper for efficiently shrink-wrapping single SKU or mix packs. Regulatory requirements vary from province to province, so clear wrap may be mandatory or optional. Bundling with printed film that clients supply gives the option for extra brand exposure.

The “let’s do this together” approach

Growth of beverage options cultivates competition; brands must strategize their promotions to gain attention. That’s why variety packs are such a popular marketing option. However, there are ever more channels of promotional sales, including online beverage-branded merchandise sales. Bullseye widens its service menu to accommodate its partnerships further. Through the broadened service offerings of fast and accurate eCommerce order fulfillment and B2B wholesale fulfillment for low and no-alcohol clients, Bullseye continuously demonstrates its commitment to sales support.

Another example of adaptation for all client sizes is through their significantly upgraded warehouse management software. The enhanced system supports Bullseye’s order processing and helps to manage all inventory with even greater transparency. Bullseye adopts the mantra of “adaptability and flexibility.” Co-packing is a niche service meant to adjust to client needs, to facilitate an efficient path to market. Bullseye’s processes are proactive and solutions driven.

With a combination of hard work honed by decades of experience and consistently updated technological efficiencies, Bullseye is poised for another 20 years and beyond.

This is not a criticism of your packaging design – and it isn’t a pitch from a design agency to re-design your packaging. It is an argument that your packaging needs to get with the times and take advantage of technology to deliver more content to your consumers so that you can forge a deeper relationship with them. This stronger relationship can deliver greater brand loyalty and may even help reduce your marketing budget.

First, let’s start with what your packaging looks like now. It probably has a great front label with a brand name and logo that consumers know and love. However, your back or side label is another story. There’s not a lot of space to work with. The Universal Product Code needs to be there, your address and other mandatory information are a must-have, and maybe a brief – very brief – description or story about your brand can be squeezed in.

That brand story is probably the most important piece, but there just isn’t enough room to tell the entire tale. Think of your brand as a person and the purchase process as dating. The front label of your package is your brand’s face and that’s what your consumer (or date) sees first. That might be enough to get the sale (a second date), but what if your consumer (date) wants to know more and your only response is your name, address and phone number? Chances are the sale (or date) will end and there will be no further relationship.

Many brands aspire to tell longer and more compelling stories that highlight what differentiates them in the market. There is often a desire to capture consumers’ data and opinions to refine offerings and establish a deeper connection. Engaging consumers through social media platforms or gaining geographic insights about their customer base are additional objectives.

However, limited label space presents a significant challenge. Traditional packaging lacks the room to deliver extensive content or engage consumers dynamically – but technology now offers a solution. Advanced tools make it possible to communicate more effectively with consumers and receive valuable feedback in return. Two key trends have emerged to facilitate this transformation: convergence and the increasing use of QR codes.

Convergence: Bridging the physical and digital worlds

Described as the fourth industrial revolution, convergence merges physical and digital experiences. This shift is evident in innovations such as virtual reality, augmented reality and digital integrations like IKEA’s virtual furniture previews or Disney’s RFID-enhanced park experiences. Packaging can participate in this revolution by becoming a gateway to digital engagement.

QR code adoption: A growing trend

QR code usage has soared, with creation rates quadrupling between 2021 and 2024. Post-COVID-19, these codes have become a common tool for accessing product information and incentives. Studies show that 80 per cent of consumers trust QR codes, frequently using them to learn about products or unlock benefits. Advanced QR codes go beyond static links to offer dynamic and interactive experiences, enabling brands to collect data, conduct surveys and engage users with personalized content.

Most of the QR codes being used today are simple connections between the code and content, such as links to websites or menus. However, QR codes can deliver much more than a simple link between the code and a singular static piece of content.

The Smarter Code uses more sophisticated and dynamic QR codes that can collect contact information so brands can re-market to their consumers, ask questions so their package can deliver consumer research insights, provide custom content, connect to social media and add call-to-actions combined with sending incentives.

The addition of a “smart” QR code is the way brands can squeeze more content onto the back label of their package. This is the way you can tell your full story and forge a deeper relationship with your consumers. Using the dating analogy, if your front label is the face of your brand, the QR code could be the brain. The power of The Smarter Code can also be applied to merchandising materials, in particular bottle neck tags. The Smarter Code has used QR code-empowered neck tags to help brands sell more and gain more insights.

Neck tags were developed with a “smart” $8 digital rebate. This was an experimental program designed to boost sales. QR codes were added to the neck tags in order to effectively aid the redemption process and communicate how the program works. The QR code system also asked several questions of consumers to help gain greater insight on the brand.

Consumers indicated they discovered the rebate in the store, with 73 per cent saying they found the neck tag in stores versus only 19 per cent finding the rebate through social media. The rebate was effective in getting new consumers to buy and try the brand; 59 per cent indicated that they were new users, while 32 per cent had previously purchased it. The Smarter Code’s sister company, Smart XM, has had great success using these QR codes in experiential marketing to go beyond one-and-done sampling, building stronger relationships with consumers.

The Smarter Code is a new company pioneering the use of advanced QR codes. The Smarter Code is currently looking for brands who want to turn their packaging into a more powerful marketing asset. With this in mind, they are offering these QR codes for free.

To discuss this opportunity, email info@thesmartercode.com or scan, tap, or click the QR code in this article (which offers an automatic link to email – another way QR codes are smarter).

Earthrings beverage rings are 100 per cent curbside recyclable and home-compostable. Made from sustainable cardboard, the rings are coated in a biodegradable formula designed to withstand moisture. Earthrings is officially a registered trademark of the United States Patent and Trademark Office as of November 2024.

Starting at 12.5 cents per unit, Earthrings are half the cost of a standard cardboard beverage carton and cost less than plastic can carriers, which start at roughly 16.5 cents per unit. By offering a 100 per cent recyclable and compostable alternative, Earthrings hopes to reduce plastic and carbon footprints within the beverage industry.

“The goal of our company is to provide excellent packaging – economically – to our brewery customers, and they want a non-plastic, sustainable product,” said Jim Rouzer, co-owner and president of Earthrings. “These breweries are being as green as they possibly can. We just want to support them and be a small part of their success.”

With more and more breweries seeking eco-friendly packaging alternatives – and their customers demanding them – Earthrings hopes to become a key player in the beverage packaging market. To get a free sample of Earthrings, visit earthrings.com or call 833-327-8401 for more information.

It started in 1939 when Alcan built an aluminum sheet rolling plant for making military aircraft to support Allied forces in the Second World War. The plant also housed an innovative research facility, which helped the Canadian aluminum mining and manufacturing company make its mark in other major sectors like automotive, transportation, and beverage and packaging.

With some facilities shutting down or moving elsewhere, the aluminum industry in Kingston isn’t as big as it once was. However, a wealth of knowledge and expertise around aluminum manufacturing remains in the city – something Kingston Aluminum Technology (KAT) was eager to tap into when it launched its aluminum container business back in 2012. KAT CEO Ben Pilon says the help his company received from retired folks who used to work in the aluminum industry was tremendously valuable.

“We found a lot of people with a technical understanding of aluminum, how it flows and moves and how to process it,” said Pilon. “We couldn’t have done this alone. We had a lot of people with decades and decades of experience work with us, and we’re thankful for them.”

Pilon’s mother, Betty, is the president and founder of KAT. She’s an aluminum veteran herself; in her previous work at Montebello Packaging in Kingston, she oversaw the mass production of aluminum packaging used by such major names as L’Oréal, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. Pilon is no stranger to the industry either. He got his first job in aluminum manufacturing at age 15 and has been involved ever since.

Pilon says KAT spent a great deal of time and energy on research and development, which resulted in a patented technology called Alumishape. It’s this process that enables the company to produce custom-shaped aluminum bottles for clients in the beer, wine and spirits industries, and in other sectors like pharma and cosmetics as well. “We found different ways to manipulate the aluminum,” said Pilon.

Benefits of custom shaping

Pilon notes for their alcoholic beverage customers, there’s a lot of value in custom-shaped bottles. For one, they’re something out of the ordinary and can really stand out on store shelves. “A lot of our customers are very passionate about their products, and they want a different look and feel,” he said. “For a smaller company, they just might be looking to make an impression and be eye catching.”

Pilon says for some customers, the shape of their product’s bottle is an essential part of their brand, so being able to retain that unique shape when transitioning the packaging from plastic or glass to aluminum is a major plus. “Some alcohol companies have really distinguished themselves with their look over the last 50 or 100 years, so they really want to stick with it,” he said.

A lot of our customers are very passionate about their products, and they want a different look and feel.

Ben Pilon, Kingston Aluminum Technology

Pilon says the custom-shaped bottles for their beer and wine customers tend to resemble the traditional glass or plastic forms for those beverages. However, he adds there are exceptions where some beer and wine makers are looking for something completely different. “I think it’s just people have become so used to and familiar [with] certain shapes,” said Pilon. “I think that those will always be common. Then as companies want to try something new, we’re happy to work with them.”

Pilon says there’s generally a lot more flexibility when it comes to creating aluminum bottle shapes for liquor companies, since spirits have been sold in a wide range of differently-shaped containers over the years. He adds a growing number of customers are turning to square bottles, which makes them easier to transport and store.

The custom shaping offered by KAT can also include a logo or graphics imprinted on the bottles; another way customers can reinforce their branding. Moulds for each unique custom-shaped bottle are created with a 3D printer, and KAT has in-house designers who can complete all the design work or simply help customers design their bottles. KAT has a second production line that pumps out bottles in approximately 15 standard shapes.

Pilon says the current split is around 50/50 in terms of orders of custom-shaped and standard-shaped bottles, with the total output for the two lines at about 50 million pieces annually. KAT’s customers are primarily in Canada and the United States, but the company has started shipping products to Europe as well.

Less aluminum required

Pilon says the KAT team looked at traditional production lines for aluminum packaging that had massive energy requirements and thought there had to be a better way. He adds part of the improvements came from looking at other industries that have different technologies and different ways of doing things.

According to Pilon, the company’s proprietary technology enables KAT to produce a lighter bottle – one that requires 30 per cent less aluminum than a traditional aluminum can or bottle – on a smaller production line, resulting in energy savings of 60 per cent per bottle. It also features an 80 per cent reduction in volatile organic chemical emissions.

KAT’s production process is designed to make changeovers between customer orders efficient and small batch orders easier to complete. Pilon says this enables anyone, from start-ups to large brands, to work with KAT. While KAT does individual orders as large as five million bottles, Pilon says their sweet spot is generally in the 15,000 to 250,000 range.

Small beverage companies may need small product runs because they lack sufficient funds to buy large quantities of raw materials, or don’t have the storage capacity for large volumes of product. Pilon says the “just in time” inventory model generally works better in these instances, and the 30 or so folks who work at KAT are happy to help out. “We really like working with the smaller companies, watching them grow,” Pilon said. “We started off as a small company ourselves, so we understand the challenges of starting a business.”

He notes some of the best companies KAT has worked with over the years started with small orders and have since grown into medium- and large-sized businesses. “That’s really nice to see,” he said.

KAT’s work in this area was recognized at the SIAL Canada food innovation trade show in 2023. The company won the Own the Change special award for its production process that uses less aluminum and makes aluminum bottles more accessible to smaller companies by offering small runs.

“Over the years, our customers have asked us to provide solutions to their warehousing, transportation, logistics and – of course – packaging needs,” said Bonnick. “In truth, it has been our customers who have really been the driving force when it comes to the innovation and growth that we’ve seen over the better part of the last decade.”

Located in Cambridge, Ont., KinsBrae operates out of a 50,000 square foot facility and employs 16 workers, with another six workers expected to be hired later this year. KinsBrae differentiates itself from the competition with its capacity to be a one-stop shop for all its customers’ needs, offering a wide array of sustainable and custom packaging solutions for a range of industries, including food, beverage, retail and nutraceuticals. The company also offers a variety of in-house services, such as design, warehousing, logistics and fulfillment, digital printing, co-packing, labelling, sleeving and – most recently – manufacturing paper bottles.

KinsBrae’s ability to handle all aspects of packaging provides its customers the confidence that what they need will be there when they need it.

“You’re never going to have a situation where one supplier is blaming another supplier because your product didn’t arrive on time; we’ve completely eliminated that from our portfolio,” said Bonnick. “And, because we always stand behind our product, when something goes wrong, we will do whatever we can to make it right.”

A paper bottle

This ability to offer the whole package when it comes to packaging made KinsBrae a natural choice for the U.K.-based sustainable packaging firm, Frugalpac Ltd. (Frugal), as it was looking for a partner to help introduce the FBAM-1, the first-of-its-kind paper bottle machine.

“Frugal was just Googling packaging and they found us here in Cambridge,” said Bonnick. “They saw that we were already dealing with every single piece that makes up their paper bottle, so it just made sense to approach us and then have us to support everything, rather than find six or seven different suppliers to do the same thing. Frugal has been a fantastic organization to work with. Them being an equipment manufacturer and us being a packaging company, this partnership has really married the best of both worlds together.”

Ideal for wine, spirits or olive oil, the KB Bottle is the world’s first commercially-available paper bottle designed for non-carbonated beverages, all the while looking almost identical to a glass bottle sitting on the shelf.

“In the beginning, whenever I spoke about the paper bottle, everybody said, ‘Oh, it’s going to be in a box shape.’ No, it’s not in a box shape; it’s a bottle shape, but made of paper,” said Bonnick. “The paper bottle has the same texture as the cereal box in your cupboard, but more rigid. When you pick it up and hold it in your hands, you know it’s definitely not glass, it’s not a label and it’s not a sleeve – the paper bottle is something completely different.”

While it may take a little time for people to wrap their heads around the concept of a paper bottle, they are certainly coming around to the idea.

KinsBrae had its first full day of paper bottle creation in early February, and the response to the KB Bottle has been overwhelming, so much so that KinsBrae is looking to bring in another two Frugal paper bottle machines by the end of 2024 to keep up with demand. The company’s two launch partners – Georgian Bay Spirit Co. and wine brand, Frisky Beaver – have seen tremendous success with the sales of their products in the paper bottles, and interest is growing in the paper bottle with other major brands across North America.

Recognizing innovation

The success of the KB Bottle has not gone unnoticed. In February 2024, KinsBrae and the KB Bottle earned the prestigious Product of the Year Canada award in the 2024 packaging category – Product of the Year is the world’s largest consumer-voted award for product innovation.

“When you pick it up and hold it in your hands, you know it’s definitely not glass, it’s not a label and it’s not a sleeve – the paper bottle is something completely different.”

Shawn Bonnick, KinsBrae Packaging

The annual Product of the Year award provides a trusted resource to easily guide consumers to the best new products on the market. Chosen by 4,000 Canadian shoppers in a national survey conducted by Kantar, a global leader in consumer research, the KB Bottle was a clear winner and was awarded the highly-coveted red seal, which recognizes the product’s innovation in the packaging category.

Katy Saito, marketing manager at KinsBrae, said, “It is amazing to see that Canadians love and believe in the KB Bottle the same way that we do. This innovative and sustainable packaging technology offers a disruptive and revolutionary alternative to the glass bottle, and we are excited to see more companies get on board with the KB Bottle across the country.”

The benefits of a paper bottle

While at first glance the KB Bottle may seem pretty ‘out there’ for many consumers, there are many reasons to make the transition from glass containers to paper.

The KB Bottle is more sustainable. Made from 100 per cent recycled paperboard, the paper bottle is significantly lighter than a normal glass bottle, weighing only 83 grams. The paper bottles also have a carbon footprint up to six times lower than a glass bottle, use 77 per cent less plastic than a plastic bottle and the water footprint is four times lower than a typical glass bottle.

The recyclable bladder on the inside of the paper bottle is what holds the liquid and is similar to what is used in boxed wine. The paperboard casing and interior bladder can easily be separated and go into the recycling bins of any municipality.

“The paper bottle is made from 100 per cent post-consumer material sourced from mills here in the North American market,” said Bonnick. “We’re part of the circular economy, where we’re taking recycled board to create these paper bottles that can then be recycled another time. It is really amazing to see.”

The paper bottle tends to be easier to transport because of its light weight compared to glass, so more bottles can be loaded on a truck. KB Bottles are also shatterproof and do not break during transport, and the paperboard used in the manufacturing of the bottle is thick and unlikely to tear. Even if it does rip, the liquid is encased inside a thick plastic pouch that preserves it and prevents spillage.

Another benefit is that the paper bottle can go where glass bottles are prohibited due to the risk of breakage, such as poolside or patios. Paper bottles are completely customizable and are a perfect canvas for branding, offering 360 degrees of design space that can include graphics along the sides, top and the bottom of the bottle.

“The paper bottles have all this space to display your brand, which can be a real advantage when you’re looking at creating a shelf presence that is greater than a standard glass or PET [polyethylene terephthalate] bottle,” said Bonnick. “So, there’s a whole slew of benefits to this bottle, from the marketing aspect to the environmental to the cost savings – it all adds up to provide a very compelling case for the general public, as well as the co-packers, wineries and distilleries.”

Looking ahead, KinsBrae will continue to focus on the needs of its customers and search out new opportunities to expand the use of the paper bottle into other markets.

“We’ve had some great conversations over the past few weeks in regard to the food industry; everything from infused oils to salad dressings and juices,” said Bonnick. “We have a few customers who are even looking at the paper bottle for soaps. It has been awesome to see customers thinking outside the box of what they can use the paper bottle for. I’m very excited to see what people will do with it over the next 12 to 18 months.”

In 2014, Glenn sold Glenmore to his son, James Rowley, and then retired from the business in 2016. In the years since, James has grown Glenmore to more than 100 employees and the company currently operates out of two facilities in the Richmond area, with a combined footprint of approximately 50,000 square feet.

“Printing is a very generational industry, and I can remember throwing paper airplanes off the mezzanines at Glenmore on Saturdays and Sundays with my dad,” said James. “I would carefully craft different shapes of airplanes to see if I could get them to go farther and farther, and the pressman would come in on Monday morning and they’d be pulling paper airplanes out of the ink fountains.”

“But it’s the story that sells the bottle. If you can’t tell that story with your packaging, you risk your premium line or your new product launch blending in with everything else on the shelf.”

James Rowley, Glenmore Custom Print & Packaging

A passion for packaging has driven Glenmore to become one of the top Canadian manufacturers of custom-printed paperboard boxes, labels, shrink sleeves and tubes. Today, Glenmore primarily focuses on high-end retail packaging for the food and beverage, wine and spirits, cosmetics, nutraceutical, and confectionery industries across Canada and throughout the western U.S.

“Most of the beverage companies in Western Canada have worked with us in some capacity over the last three to five years,” said James. “We’ve also printed for a large number of wineries and distilleries, which has become a significant focus area for us.”

In November 2022, James brought on industry veteran Jay Tapp as Glenmore’s chief operating officer. Tapp has worked in the packaging sector for more than 35 years and, most notably, founded Tapp Label Technologies Inc., which he sold in 2005. Tapp brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise in streamlining processes and procedures, as well as continuous improvement through measuring results, setting goals and growth.

Tapp was working in the Chicago area when James reached out to him looking for the right person to run Glenmore. The position was ultimately deemed a good fit, and Tapp relocated from Chicago to take on the COO role.

“This position was interesting to me because James’ entrepreneurial vision was to not only grow the company, but to change the way a typical packaging company operates,” said Tapp. “In the year that I’ve been here so far, I can honestly say it’s been an amazingly fun ride and the time has just flown by.”

A changing business

Over the years, Glenmore has been able to adapt to keep up with the ever-changing needs of its customers. The company has seen a significant evolution in the marketplace, with a greater focus on improving the shelf-visibility of products.

“A lot of beverage companies are extremely conscious today about how their products look on the shelf, going as far as thinking about image resolutions and colours of their cans; 10 years ago, that wasn’t the case,” said James. “So, we are working with our customers on ways to pretty-up their products, allowing them to better stand out within a crowded space.”

James has also noticed significant growth in more boutique offerings, as breweries, distilleries and wineries embrace the concept of limited release items and non-alcoholic options. With that, Glenmore’s role has been to help their customers find ways to warrant the additional costs that might be associated with unique packaging that showcases new product lines and limited releases.

“We have customers that sell their spirits for more than $125 per bottle and they’re looking at how to justify a $125 spend, so we help them by making it more giftable and luxurious with our packaging,” said James. “What’s the differentiator between a $60 bottle of whisky and a $100 bottle of whisky? Often, it’s just the packaging. Yes, the flavours are different. Yes, the distilling process is different. But it’s the story that sells the bottle. If you can’t tell that story with your packaging, you risk your premium line or your new product launch blending in with everything else on the shelf. That is what makes high-end labels and exterior packaging so important.”

“We seek out the go-getters and the go-getters seek out Glenmore.”

James Rowley, Glenmore Custom Print & Packaging

Creating a broad array of packaging for customers needing smaller batch orders – especially on the winery and distillery side of things, where much of the product is hand-packaged – is not for the faint of heart. However, it is an area where Glenmore has proven to not only be comfortable in, but excel in.

“Our customers have a great eye for detail and they really pay attention to the product we send them, and that is something that scares a lot of printers away,” said James. “But for us, we’re very dedicated to producing quality and that’s what makes us comfortable in the luxury space. And if we make a mistake, we replace it – simple as that – and our customers appreciate that commitment to product quality.”

A culture of excellence

Glenmore has developed a culture of excellence, where customer service and product development are first and foremost. Glenmore’s workplace environment is extremely diverse, dynamic and collaborative. There is always something going on and no two days are the same. Glenmore stands apart from much of its competition because its team works with five different product lines at once, and – from boxes to foil stamped roll labels – the company manufactures everything in-house.

“Our staff could be working on a folding carton one day and then a label or shrink sleeve project the next,” said Tapp. “While this might seem challenging for some, our team likes a challenge, and it helps them remain versatile and highly technical in their understanding of the printing and packaging industry. This is something that is hard-wired into our culture as we create opportunities for education and we all learn from one another each day.”

At Glenmore, the belief is that all machine operators want to work with the newest and nicest pieces of equipment. Therefore, James has made it his top priority to invest in bringing the latest, state-of-the-art technology to the company, which has helped Glenmore attract some of the finest talent in the business.

“We seek out the go-getters and the go-getters seek out Glenmore,” said James, who admits the culture of excellence at Glenmore isn’t always for everyone. “We do challenging work here, so if you’re at a point in your career where you want to grow and be challenged, Glenmore is absolutely the place for you. Working on the sort of work we do can be nerve-racking for some but, for others, it’s what they live for.”

Doing better

Glenmore is strongly committed to making the world a better place through sustainability, which is no big surprise given that before joining the company, James went to university to study corporate environmental management.

As such, the company has implemented several waste reduction and recycling policies and initiatives to reduce its environmental impact, and promote sustainable manufacturing.

Most of the paper and board that Glenmore stocks on their floor is either Forest Stewardship Council certified or made from recycled materials, which means the company’s paperboard boxes and tubes are completely recyclable. Glenmore also works with Veritree, which connects businesses with verified tree planting projects around the world as a way to offset their carbon footprint.

“The environment and climate change are issues that are incredibly important to me, and we do everything we can at Glenmore to make sure that we are making a difference and not just greenwashing,” said James.

Looking ahead, Glenmore will continue to focus on what it does best by leveraging the Glenmore brand and reputation for customer service, and expanding its packaging and label reach throughout the food, beverage, and wine and spirits industries.

“We really just want to double down on our processes and get even better at what we do,” said James. “Our goal is to provide beverage companies with a solution for higher-end packaging options that they might not think are achievable from a cost standpoint and then make it cost achievable. We are excited for what the future holds for us at Glenmore.”

GLBC started with three employees working out of a small 5,000-square-foot plant located in Burnaby, B.C., vastly different from where it is today.

The company has grown to approximately 500 employees and its current facilities in Richmond, B.C., measure more than 465,000 square feet. GLBC also has distribution locations in Kelowna, Victoria, and Abbotsford, B.C., as well as in Everett, Wash. In 2019, GLBC continued to expand eastward to service Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and has a satellite office in Alberta.

Over the years, GLBC has always strived to offer customers the innovative solutions for all their labelling and packaging needs, and has acquired the equipment and capabilities to expand its services and expertise to more than just boxes. GLBC established a moving supplies division in 2004, a label division in 2006, and with the acquisition of Ideon Packaging in 2020, an enhanced digital print packaging division.

“We started out in 1982 with just corrugated products, but now we carry a wide scope of packaging products, that is what makes us different,” said James DeVries, vice president of sales, retail packaging division at GLBC. “Where our competition might just be a label company or only sell folding cartons or corrugated boxes or protective packaging, we manufacture and sell all of these items, and more, and that is what really sets us apart from everyone else.”

As a trusted one-source supplier, GLBC’s experts think ‘outside the box’ to uncover the perfect packaging and display solutions for a wide range of businesses and industries. In addition to serving the craft beer, wine and spirits sector, GLBC also works closely with customers from almost every industry segment, such as, but not limited to, food and beverage, health and wellness, beauty, nutraceutical and sports nutrition, manufacturing and e-commerce.

“We’re very much a solution driven organization and pride ourselves on being able to sit down with our customers to understand what it is they want, and then developing products that match up – right from design through graphics, to their final solutions,” said DeVries.

Our customers are looking for something creative and unique, and we have the team and expertise here to deliver packaging solutions that make sense for them, both economically and efficiently.

James DeVries, Great Little Box Company/Ideon Packaging

Some of the company’s more popular products and services are related to its retail-ready packaging solutions, where the package has to sell the product. “Our customers ask for packaging that pops off the shelf to draw the consumer in, whether that is through higher graphics, bold designs or increased visibility,” said DeVries. “When our customers are looking for something unique, we have the team and expertise here to deliver solutions that make sense for them, both economically and efficiently.”

A people-first mentality

Despite the growth of the company over the last 40 years, GLBC has stayed true to the values that made it a ‘great little box company’ in the first place: being a welcoming, open and fun place to work, all while maintaining a family atmosphere that is dedicated to delivering excellence in everything it does.

As part of this, GLBC constantly looks for ways to bring employees together through company events and activities held throughout the year, such as its Holiday Children’s Party, where Meggy purchases gifts for all the staff’s children and grandchildren, and attends the event to ensure that every child receives one.

“I have worked for a few different organizations in the course of my career, and it’s rare to find a company as committed to their employees as GLBC,” said DeVries. “We are a company that cares about our people like they are part of the family, and we do what we can to encourage and maintain that kind of culture. This has resulted in a very low turnover rate and we have some employees who have been with us for many years just because they like working here.”

The investment GLBC puts into its employees has not gone unnoticed, and the company has been recognized multiple times as one of Canada’s best managed companies and top employers. This year, the company received the prestigious ‘Canada’s Best Managed Companies’ designation, which names GLBC as being among the best-in-class of Canadian owned and managed companies – one that demonstrates leadership in the areas of strategy, capabilities and innovation, culture and commitment, and financials to achieve sustainable growth.

“We are proud to accept this award and truly believe our people are the foundation of our company,” said Brad Tindall, president of GLBC. “As our company celebrates our 40th anniversary, we’re grateful for the fact that people tell us today that their favourite part of the job is their co-workers and it’s the same answer that people gave 20 years ago when the company was so much smaller.”

GLBC also earned recognition as being one of Canada’s top small and medium employers by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. GLBC was chosen for this coveted award for a variety of reasons, such as giving its employees a unique head office work environment that features an onsite fitness facility with numerous fitness programs, from hiking to yoga, and personal trainer services, an outdoor sand volleyball court, an onsite vegetable garden and an outdoor gazebo. The award also recognized GLBC for allowing everyone in the company to share in the business’ success through profit-sharing and for helping them to build long-term savings with matching RSP contributions.

“Great Little Box Company/Ideon Packaging is proud to once again be recognized as one of Canada’s Top Small and Medium Employers, and we believe GLBC’s success to date is a testament to the incredible people we have on our team,” said Tindall.

Making the world a better place

GLBC is wholly committed to operating in a more sustainable manner. The company conducts regular reviews of all its environmental objectives to always provide its customers with the most environmentally responsible packaging products available, and its technical professionals are trained in life cycle analysis and use internationally recognized techniques to assess the environmental impact of their packaging designs.

The company website reads, “Our award-winning design team goes above and beyond traditional packaging criteria of performance, cost, communication and compliance by sourcing responsibly, and optimizing and recovering resources. Nothing excites us more than working with our customers to help profitably grow their business using sustainable packaging.”

GLBC sustainable designs are 100 per cent recyclable, require less manufacturing time, energy and raw materials to produce, which results in a lower-cost solution for the customer that meets, or exceeds, the original design’s function and performance.

Where our competition might just be a label company or only sell folding cartons or corrugated boxes or protective packaging, we manufacture and sell all of these items, and more, and that is what really sets us apart from everyone else.

James DeVries, Great Little Box Company/Ideon Packaging

One such example is GLBC’s compostable packing peanuts. It’s an environmentally friendly starch-based alternative packing product that is nontoxic, composed of a corn starch fill that dissolves in water to leave no toxic waste. The peanuts are also static-free and dispense the same as any other loose fill. However, the best part is that these peanuts are just as economically friendly and cost about the same as regular polystyrene peanuts.

GLBC is also certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program and Forest Stewardship Council, ensuring that its raw materials and products are responsibly sourced from certified forests.

Not only is GLBC committed to the environment, the company also strongly believes in giving back to the community. GLBC is always on the lookout for ways to express its social responsibility, and they support a variety of local charities and associations, such as the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund, which supports burn survivor programs like Burn Camp for kids, virtual mental health support and the Home Away accommodation program that provides a home away from home for families travelling to Vancouver seeking burn and trauma treatment.

Prior to being acquired in 2020, Ideon Packaging was a proud supporter of Canuck Place with a yearly toy drive for the foundation. This is a tradition that GLBC was more than happy to continue. Employees visit a local toy shop and purchase gifts for the families at Canuck Place, ensuring that Santa Claus delivers the gifts around the Okanagan Valley and Lower Mainland in time for the holiday season.

Charity does not just occur at the top of the company and the spirit of giving manifests throughout GLBC. To represent this, GLBC created a monthly program – the Award of Excellence – in which peers nominate each other to acknowledge and celebrate staff who go above and beyond the call of duty. Every month, three winners each get to pick a charity close to their heart for GLBC to support.

Looking ahead

Moving forward, GLBC plans to continue strengthening its position in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, as well as broadening its presence south of the border in Washington state.

“We’re focused on continuing our growth trajectory and building our business based on the excellent service we’ve always delivered, and keep strengthening the relationships that have helped us become so successful for more than 40 years,” said DeVries.

In fact, she believes the can is a canvas to showcase a brand, facilitate a consumer connection and generate brand loyalty. “Craft beverages in general have so much personality, from people to beer (or other drinks) to branding,” said Lee-Travis. “This area offers some of the best branding and can design in the beverage space. The design on a can is sometimes the first interaction with a consumer and brand personality is key.”

From its operations centre in Guelph, Ont., BSG Canada supplies North American brewers and beverage makers with high quality brewing ingredients. When the opportunity arose to lead its packaging division, Lee-Travis jumped at it. “I had 20 years of experience in packaging and sales, and joined CanCraft as employee number one in 2016,” she said. “I was really excited. The craft beverage community is really connected and communal, and that meshes with my personal values of service and creativity.”

Every day, Lee-Travis is supercharged by the entrepreneurial spirit of her customers. From start-ups to established brands, she noticed there was a gap in the way craft brewers and beverage makers were being serviced by the can industry, and she wanted to offer them a better experience. That involved bringing her service-oriented nature and personal touch to what had been a largely impersonal sector of craft brewing. “Yes, we sell cans and lids,” said Lee-Travis, “but it’s more about the great canvas we bring people to take their designs to the shelves.”

Her approach was clearly on target. Since she assumed her role at CanCraft, its customer base has grown from 30 beverage makers to over 500. To serve those clients, her team has increased to 50 people, including graphic designers and operations specialists.

Yes, we sell cans and lids, but it’s more about the great canvas we bring people to take their designs to the shelves.

Johanna Lee-Travis, CanCraft

“There is a wide scope of expertise [at CanCraft],” she said. “We have a commercial sales team that expanded into Western Canada and into the United States. In Guelph, we label cans and do contract decorating. We do distribution for printed cans and offer design services to our customers. We’ll also assess a customer’s design and do a print assessment to help them decide on the best label type. It’s such a pleasure to show up every day and work shoulder to shoulder with some really brilliant people.”

Yes, we can

When it comes to selecting the perfect can for their creative concoctions, beverage makers have three options. Traditional press-printed cans are the most economical choice, but they are only available for large batches of 200,000-plus cans at a time. For smaller orders, there is a choice between a shrink-sleeve and a pressure-sensitive label. Either of the latter options can be ordered for as few as 3,000 cans. No matter which can is selected, they all have unique characteristics to consider.

“Press-printed cans only come with six colours and traditional label styling,” said Lee-Travis. “You can do anything with shrink-sleeve and pressure-sensitive labels – textured finishes, any colour, metallic inks.”

She is also very excited about the industry’s newest innovation, direct-to-can digital printing, which she says ticks all the boxes. “You can print any quantity, print directly to the can with excellent image quality and have an expedited lead time of two to three weeks. We’ve invested in state-of-the-art digital technology and expect to be selling our first commercial cans early in 2024,” she said.

Lee-Travis says CanCraft has a full pipeline of brewers and beverage makers ready to order digitally-printed cans. “It solves a lot of pain points for them. Digital is emerging and it will lead the charge as far as a serviceable option for craft beverages of all types, including functional beverages, ready-to-drink mixtures, coffees, teas and waters,” she said.

As she sees it, CanCraft’s value is in softening some of the interactions between beverage makers and can manufacturers, cushioning the impact of supply chain challenges in a dynamic marketplace. “We love the quintessential craft entrepreneur, wearing so many hats at one time,” she said. “We are here to help.”

“While we do canning and labelling in-house, we source out the printing, having developed a strong working relationship with a number of print shops,” said Evan Singer, Vessel Packaging’s national sales manager. “So, instead of a customer dealing with the technical details of printing their label correctly, we take on that role.”

Jason Neve, a production designer with Vessel Packaging, says brewery employees often wear many hats and working with a print shop can turn into a time-consuming process for them. “It can be overwhelming because you’re leaving the world of making beer and hosting customers, and you’re entering the world of production design and talking about Pantone colours, white layers and matte varnishes.” Based in Vancouver, Matt Leslie, Mitch Evanecz and Kevin Pederson established Vessel Packaging in 2019 after merging two companies: West Coast Canning in Vancouver (est. 2014) and Sessions Craft Canning (est. 2014) in Toronto.

“They saw the craft beer boom in the United States and how that was impacting the market there from consuming beer in bottles to cans,” said Singer. “Even though the craft brew industry in B.C. adopted cans more slowly, that was still where most consumers trends were heading.” Singer says they wanted to help the province’s craft brewers use traditional routes of canning beer, as it can be “a highly technical process that requires a big investment in expertise, equipment and space.”

The original three founders drove to Colorado to pick up a mobile canning line, and went directly to Vancouver Island and their first brewery job. “After they went from brewery-to-brewery filling cans, they realized that the actual canning equipment was not the biggest barrier to entering the can market,” said Singer. “It’s the cans themselves because manufacturers operate at huge, huge scales.”

Singer says sometimes the minimum quantities for cans range from 150,000 to 200,000 at a time, which doesn’t allow breweries much flexibility. “That’s when they started making the supplying of cans a core offering of Vessel Packaging as well,” said Singer. Craft breweries can order as little as 1,200 cans for small batches of an experimental brew or increase their order to a few truckloads to ship a best-selling IPA across Canada. “Mobile canning is still a core service at Vessel Packing,” said Singer. “However, supplying different types of cans has become much larger.”

Moving onto the graphic design side of the business was another way to lend convenience to the craft brewing industry and Vessel Packaging’s customers. “The process of working with Vessel Packaging is straightforward,” said Neve. “The customer uploads their artwork into our system and then right away it kicks over to our production design team, and we put that order under process right away.”

Neve says a detailed administrator will take care of the specifics, such as the can and label size, quantity and label type. “We have a whole team that circulates around making sure everything lines up,” he said. “The graphics team and I, once we receive the artwork, will basically run it through a checklist to ensure it has everything that it needs.”

Neve says there’s also a lot of technical work to consider. “We need fonts, images and labels, we check that we have everything. If we don’t have it, we go out to the customer,” said Neve. Asking a lot of questions is critical and Neve says the team puts in a lot of work behind the scenes. “We want to set the label up for success,” he said. “We’re trained professionals with experience in pre-press and technical design. So, we know how to troubleshoot these things.”

The process of working with Vessel Packaging is straightforward. The customer uploads their artwork into our system and then right away it kicks over to our production design team, and we put that order under process right away.

Jason Neve, Vessel Packaging

“Collaboration with the client is an essential component of our process. From the customer’s perspective, they’re working with Vessel Packaging on all parts of it,” Singer said. “While we take on that sort of detail-oriented work, working with the printer, providing recommendations, at the same time, you can’t make decisions on [the client’s] behalf,” said Neve. “So, we carefully communicate that outward to the customer and we really do that in a client-facing way.”

Neve says they’re also careful to avoid using industry jargon. “We offer a path of least resistance, but still offer value,” he said. “So that’s another part of it. We’re not creative designers, but we can make recommendations that can positively impact the label’s creation.” Neve says they’re very fortunate for the print shops they partner with to produce the labels. “We work with one or two key printers in the industry, and the reason we do that is we know that all of the labels we get from those two printers are the best quality,” he said. “We get great pricing, but most importantly, we know those labels are super compatible with our machines that apply the labels.”

It also allows them to experiment with the design and production of the labels, offering better value in addition to different and more striking looks. “We partnered with a flexographic printer that is really open to pushing the limit on what we can do,” said Neve. In the printing world, digital printing can communicate graphics in finite detail, featuring crisp lines, subtle gradients and endless colours. “So that’s a world that’s traditionally maintained for digital print, but our flexographic printer does a fantastic job doing that as well,” Neve said. “We’re experimenting and we’ve provided some sleeves that are just top, top quality, and that most flexographic printers would turn away.”

However, the real caveat with flexographic printing is the price. “Flexographic sleeves cost way less compared to digital,” Neve said. “A lot of folks in the industry think they need to pay more for their labels to get these beautiful artworks when, in fact, working with a flexographic printer like ours, you can still create these beautiful sleeves at a much lower cost. Our customers want a really great sleeve, but more importantly, they want a very low cost.”

Village Brewery in Calgary, Alta., is one of those customers that has collaborated with Vessel Packaging to elevate the designs of their labels. “They use a whole rotation of labels that are consistent in look and feel, but also have their own identity,” said Neve. “They take these really interesting risks and they have some very creative artworks, but they always came in flat.”

Neve says that Vessel suggested allowing the metallics of the can to shine through, offering some texture and depth to the label. “They printed on a white piece of paper and wrapped it around the can,” he said. “But there’s so much more that can be done by manipulating the effects of the label and the can.” Other design interventions can elicit the same results. However, it’s “really just using a knockout on the white layer, which is a simple trick,” said Neve. “But at the same time, if you don’t have a pretty good level of experience with graphic design and graphic design tools, it’s not intuitive.”

From offering sharp colours to fluorescent inks, Neve says the Vessel Packaging team enjoys sharing their expertise with customers. “It makes such a huge difference because now they’re talking to somebody that understands what they need, and what their limitations and expectations are,” he said. “We aren’t overloading them with technical information and making it cumbersome.”

For Vessel Packaging, cultivating relationships with their clients is critical. They want to see the craft brewing industry continue to thrive. “We find that when customers come to Vessel Packaging and solicit our services, they tend to stay longer,” said Neve. “So, when that happens, we grow, and they will grow with us because we have that next level of product or service that they need.” Vessel is staying on the cutting edge of can decoration by exploring new technologies such as fully recyclable labels, digital direct to can printing and other services offered by printing partners.

“We’re constantly seeking feedback from our customers in terms of what they would like to see us offer and have the ability to put out in the market,” said Singer. “It’s becoming increasingly important for beverage producers to tell a story with their packaging, whether it’s through eye-catching graphics, sustainable options or innovative ways of getting their brand displayed on the shelf. At Vessel, we’ll continue innovating and bringing that ability to their fingertips.”