FOOD PROCESSING BY KRONES
A sustainable solution The owners of Ice River Springs (IRS) love Krones for their considerable experience in processing recycled PET plastic and the high efficiency of their lines. Almost all of the blow molders in their seven bottling plants belong to the Krones Contiform series. The co-packer is also increasing its use of filling technology from the system supplier headquartered in Neutraubling. Since 2013, every new line installed at Ice River Springs has been from Krones, and most are in a block configuration. One of the latest additions to the bottler’s machinery fleet is a high-speed line with two ErgoBloc L systems at its Lachute, Quebec, plant.
From farmers to water bottlers You might say Crystal Howe’s loyalty to Ice River Springs has been instilled in her from birth. After all, she’s not only the company’s Sustainability Manager but also the daughter of Ice River Springs’ founders and owners, Jamie and Sandy Gott.
Her parents started out as farmers, raising chickens and trout in Feversham, two hours’ drive north of Toronto. The natural spring they used as a water source for the trout farm provided a supply of high-quality water, which Jamie and Sandy initially sold in bulk to water bottlers. As Sustainability Manager at Ice River Springs Co. and At some point, they began bottling the water themselves Blue Mountain Plastics, Crystal Howe has, of course, made on a small scale, in large HDPE containers. sustainability a top priority. But she’s not alone. The entire company shares her passion. “Our philosophy is Soon after that, Y2K loomed and an apocalyptic mood based on the three Ps: people, planet, and profit.” Howe set in, driven largely by the media especially in North firmly believes that coordinating the three Ps is crucial. America. People feared that all computer systems would “PET and plastics in general have been getting a lot of stop working on January 1, 2000. So they started negative attention lately worldwide. But Ice River Springs is stockpiling emergency supplies, including bottled water. already ahead of the game. By completely reusing PET Demand for Ice River Springs water exploded. plastic in a closed loop, we’re being part of the solution.” 8
ASIA FOOD BEVERAGE THAILAND
