Edmunds tops off bottled cocktails with high-quality neck sleeves

Premium bottled cocktail producer Edmunds Cocktails has improved packaging presentation and consistency across its portfolio, following investment in a new heat tunnel from Sovereign Labelling Machines.

With demand for its bottled cocktails on the rise and a resulting increase in production volumes, the family-run business needed to improve its packaging process. A key part of the bottling of ready-to-drink cocktails is the application of shrink capsules to the bottle neck, which creates a professional-looking, tamper-evident seal once shrunk into place. “As production volumes increased, we identified a bottleneck in our existing capsule application process; as our previous machine struggled with speed and limited throughput and introduced avoidable inefficiencies. We invested in a dedicated solution from Sovereign Labelling Machines to streamline capsule application and shrinking, removing constraints from the line and supporting our ongoing scale-up,” explains Paul Mayes, Co-Founder & Operations Director at Edmunds Cocktails. 

Sovereign Labelling Machines is specialized in tailored solutions for labelling and sleeving. From complex, multi-process integrated lines to desktop systems that support start-up and scale-up businesses alike, Sovereign works with brands and co-packers to optimise their labelling and packaging processes. 

The solution delivered to Edmunds Cocktails by Sovereign is a tamper band shrink tunnel with a capacity of 60ppm. The heat tunnel is integrated into the beverage brand’s existing packaging line to allow the seamless bottling, labelling, and neck sleeving of bottles, ready for boxing up and dispatch.

The heat tunnel is being used to apply and shrink capsules across the entire bottled cocktail range and supports small and large production runs. It has ‘materially improved line flow,’ according to Paul Mayes, as well as providing consistent heat distribution that is delivering the premium finish required by the brand. Bottle neck clearance issues that were experienced previously have now been eliminated also. He goes on: “The solution has improved consistency and presentation of the finished product, while also increasing throughput and reducing manual intervention. Lead times are shorter, changeovers are smoother, and overall line reliability has improved, all of which directly benefits our customers.”