Bericap GmbH, the German closure solutions company, develops innovative, high-quality closures for food, beverage, and industrial applications in more than 100 countries. In an interview with Brews & Spirits, Ozgur Akin, Bericap’s Managing Partner, talks about what makes the company stand out and what it takes to stay ahead of the curve.
What unique challenges does Bericap encounter when developing closures for alcoholic beverage containers to ensure product integrity, shelf-life and consumer appeal?
The alcohol beverage market in India has been well structured for many years. The market is suffering from mediocre tamper-evident closures with limited decoration possibility. Most existing closures can be easily removed, and the product integrity can be jeopardised.
At Bericap, during the design phase itself, we keep a balance between cost and security. Hence, we have prepared various alternatives that we could offer for different levels of security and decorations.
How does Bericap stay abreast of trends and anticipate closure requirements, such as for craft beers, spirits or wines?
Our primary focus has been the alcoholic beverage industry spirits category as both craft beers and wines, by nature, are not in the scope of the plastic closure industry.
Close contact with the customers as well as exhibitions and seminars, industry associations and subscribing to magazines like Brews&Spirits help us to be current with the alcobev industry.
What is the role of closures in preserving the quality and freshness of alcohol beverages? How do Bericap’s solutions address these critical factors?
All around the world product integrity of alcohol beverages is achieved by the closure. The bottle and the label are usually intact once the product is consumed. One can collect and refill the bottles quite easily – unless the closure is difficult to remove, the product is almost impossible to refill due to closure design. The closure must be sophisticated enough so that it is difficult to be produced by counterfeiters, and the supplier of the closure is reputable, so that the closure is not sold to counterfeiters.
Tamper-evident features of Liqproof.
What innovations have you recently introduced, or are currently exploring, to enhance the performance of closures specifically tailored for alcohol beverages?
Bericap has introduced two versions of closures for 180-ml and 375-ml bottles. They are called Liqpro and Liqpro-Plus. Both closures offer a significant decoration possibility and different levels of pull-out force.
We also offer two versions of Liqproof closures which are designed for glass bottles 750 ml and above. The closures provide multiple tamper evidence (TE) features. Besides, the ‘no loose parts’ concept used for tamper evidence offers a new level of environmental approach for India.
The product can be produced with a PC or PP inner sleeve, as per the choice of the customer. There is an increasing tendency not to use PC due to some recycling limitations. Because if this we have designed PP parts that can replace PC and PS without jeopardising security.
How does Bericap collaborate with alcohol beverage producers to customise closures that align with brand identity and consumer expectations?
We offer both multiple-colour printing and hot foiling for decoration. Besides, we can enhance the brand look with embossed images. Bericap can also offer lenticular image on top of the closure, as well as lenticular texture around the entire surface of the closure, which improves the aesthetics and offers a new level of protection against counterfeiters.
What regulatory considerations/ certifications do you prioritise when developing closures, regarding food safety and compatibility with different beverage types?
Bericap can offer closures designed based on the strictest environmental regulations. The materials used are carefully chosen based on the same regulations, and the weight has been reduced to offer a sustainable closure.
We will offer more alternatives, which will support the sensitivity of Indian customers towards the environment. The company utilises state-of-the-art technology and uses virgin materials, which are all approved for food and beverage contact.
What growth opportunities does you foresee within the alcoholic beverage segment? How do you position yourself to meet evolving industry needs and consumer preferences?
We believe in the development of the Indian market, and we have been investing systematically in it over the last 15 years, which includes setting up of a second factory soon. Bericap will continue to offer sustainable and secure plastic closure solutions to the Indian market.
