Tetra Pak cartons preferred for Flow Alkaline Spring Water’s immunity-supporting vitamin water portfolio
13 Jan 2021 --- Premium spring water brand Flow Alkaline is tapping into the immunity-boosting market with a new Flow Vitamin-Infused Water line-up packaged in Tetra Pak cartons.
“We are focused on the positive power of water and always looking for ways to get more from the one beverage we cannot live without,” Flow founder Nicholas Reichenbach tells PackagingInsights.
“Flow has already successfully innovated with flavor. Now, we are focused on innovation with function and benefit as we move toward becoming a wellness brand and not just a beverage company.”
The new trifecta of alkaline spring waters contains a blend of B and C vitamins recognized for their immunity and metabolic function support.
Starting in March and April, Flow Vitamin-Infused Water will be available at US retailers, including Sprouts Farmers Market, as well as for online purchase from February.
Flow Alkaline Spring Waters chose Tetra Pak’s cartons for its new line of vitamin-rich flavored waters.The new Flow waters arrive in Tetra Pak cartons – deviating from more conventional plastic water bottles – as the water brand works with Tetra Pak “on an ongoing basis to explore more sustainable options in packaging.”
What’s in the drink?
Flow Vitamin-Infused Water is available in cherry, citrus and elderberry flavors. Its vitamin and nutrient blend includes vitamins B1, B3, B5, B6, B7 and C.
The vitamin B complex offers multi-functionality, the company maintains: B1 supports energy metabolism; B3, B6 and B7 are recognized for their anti-inflammatory properties; and B5 helps immunity function.
The blend also includes folic acid and zinc gluconate. “During the beginning of the pandemic in the US, zinc supplements were sold out at most groceries, so we knew there was a consumer understanding and demand for that particular ingredient,” Reichenbach explains.
Flow Vitamin-Infused Water is the brand’s latest water innovation following its spring 2020 launch of Flow Collagen-Infused Water, a three-flavor line of spring waters infused with 10 g of collagen.
The new water line aims to provide immunity support with a range of B and C vitamins. Packaged for good
Each flavor is available in a fully recyclable 500 mL Tetra Pak carton made from roughly 75 percent renewable materials.
In Reichenbach’s experience, US consumers have been conditioned to expect packaged water in clear plastic bottles. That conditioning is what is leading to more plastic waste, he says.
When Reichenbach created Flow, he envisioned using packaging materials other than plastic, even if the consumers could not see the alkaline spring water inside and experience the immediate “water cue” seeing the product for the first time.
The Flow brand works closely with packaging partner Tetra Pak to fill its new and existing alkaline waters in paper-based cartons.
Tetra Pak cartons are made primarily from FSC-certified paperboard. The carton’s cap is made from bio-based sugarcane.
The remaining carton content is roughly 25 percent plastic, making “a much stronger sustainability proposition than an all-plastic water bottle.”
PackagingInsights deep dived into environmentally friendly materials for water packaging last June, revealing how various beverage brands interpret the sustainability challenge in different ways.
By Anni Schleicher
