Lightening the load Sanpellegrino

LIGHTENING THE LOAD

Sanpellegrino, part of the Nestlé Group, is the leading Italian producer of mineral water, as well as being present in almost every possible area of the beverage sector. Now, thanks to the fact that it’s the first mineral water company to introduce coating technology, it will also be at the cutting edge in terms of product performance and environmental friendliness. Barbara Rossi reports.

Sanpellegrino started its activity in 1899, bottling the water from sources at the foot of the Alps in the Brembana valley of northern Italy. The activity was expanded and diversified over the years and today is made up of seven mineral water brands, as well as other beverage products such as iced tea and soft drinks. In 1998 Sanpellegrino merged with Nestlé, a move which has allowed it to achieve further growth and establish its current status as a leading national and international player. In 2010 Sanpellegrino achieved a turnover of around €917 million, selling 3 billion bottles.

Its current product portfolio includes: Sanpellegrino, Acqua Panna, Levissima, Nestlé Vera, S. Bernardo, Recoaro and Pejo (mineral waters); Aranciata Sanpellegrino (orange drink); Chinò Sanpellegrino, Vera and Limonata Sanpellegrino (sparkling drinks) amongst other varieties of soft drinks and iced teas. There are also non-alcoholic aperitifs, namely Sanbittèr (in its standard and Fruit Sensation versions) and Gingerino. The core business is still centred round mineral waters, but non-mineral water products are of increasing importance. The product range is also comprehensive and diversified in terms of packaging and price range, in order to suit every consumer need and way of life.

Sourced in Italy, delivered globally

Whilst some of its brands are for the Italian market only, others are also exported. With its international brands Sanpellegrino (water, soft drinks and aperitifs) and Acqua Panna, the Sanpellegrino group is present in over 120 countries. After Italy, the major markets are the USA, France, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, the UK, Belgium and Australia, but the products can be found almost anywhere in the world, either through Nestlé Waters’ branches or distribution partners directly managed by the Milan head office.

The Sanpellegrino mineral waters are bottled at the group’s several plants, all located close to mineral springs in northern, central and southern Italy, and offer different minerals and trace elements thought to be beneficial to human health. In terms of soft drinks and aperitifs, the Sanpellegrino group offers a wide range of flavours whilst always maintaining its high quality thanks to the natural ingredients it uses and its tried-andtested production processes.

Integrity and fairness have been among the core values for Sanpellegrino since its beginnings, helping to make it become a major player on the Italian and international markets. For some time the group has been actively pursuing a process of socially responsible growth-oriented principles in terms of environmentally sustainable logistics, energy saving, water culture, attention to the consumer and valuing its own staff. These principles are encoded in two important documents produced by the group: its code of ethics and its code of business conduct.

Product quality, purity and safety are all priorities for the group, as they are the standard by which millions of consumers choose Sanpellegrino every day. All of its products undergo the tests required by current regulations. In addition to this, each plant has a self-control system, employed on a daily basis, which exceeds legal requirements. Significant resources are dedicated to research focused on innovation, continuous improvement of products and the development of more

environmentally friendly solutions. Research follows the guidelines of the Nestlé Group, to which Sanpellegrino belongs. The group’s research centre has achieved worldwide recognition from the scientific community as one of the most important centres for nutritional and food research.

R&D focus

Sanpellegrino plays an important role in the group’s research in two areas of expertise: packaging and formula. The Sanpellegrino research deals with product packaging, both in terms of primary (bottle and cap) and secondary packaging (packaging materials), as well as dealing with the choice of ingredients for the production and improvement of new and existing products, always complying with current legislation.

Sanpellegrino is always looking for the most balanced and nutritional formulas, offering the best possible health benefits, while in terms of packaging it was the first company in the mineral water sector to introduce coating technology, which will allow it to reduce the weight of the Sanpellegrino water 0.5-litre PET bottle by 17 per cent over the next three years. This innovation is the result of two years of testing, an investment of €8 million and a commitment towards cutting-edge technological solutions. As well as achieving a lighter bottle weight, this technology will also ensure the maintenance of a constant level of water carbonation, even in situations of transportrelated stress, as well as ensuring the bottle will remain 100 per cent recyclable. Sanpellegrino’s intentions are to extend this technology to other formats over the coming years. n