Portuguese mineral water supplier Água Monchique has called on SIPA in its bid to bring new levels of innovation to the sector. With the help of a new XTRA 8 high-efficiency rotary blow molding system, an existing SFL 6/4 XL linear blow molding system, and expert SIPA assistance in bottle design, Agua de Monchique has introduced two new ranges, one for the mass market, and one for the boutique sector – both very elegant and making use of the latest processing technology.
The company taps into a source 900 meters deep in Caldas de Monchique, in Portugal’s beautiful Algarve region, which yields water with a high level of mineralization, and with a pH of 9.5 – super alkaline!
Água Monchique uses SIPA’s two production systems to make bottles in seven different formats. The “regular” Monchique range is available in five sizes, from 340mL through to 5L, all with simple and attractive designs. The XTRA 8 produces the smaller sizes and it is coupled and synchronized with a SIPA Flextronic S equipped with 20 filling valves for a nominal productivity of 20,000b/h.
The SFL 6/4 XL, operating in a SincroBloc set-up with a SIPA Bigfill volumetric gravity filler, is used for the 5L bottles. The 5L bottles in particular stand out for their low weight: they have been validated at 66 and 64g, which is close to 10g lighter than the norm in Portugal.
The up-market Chic range comes in two sizes, 500mL and 1L, with a “minimalist” look, in four colors: crystal (translucent white), cobalt blue, red and turquoise.
Both families are produced using 30% recycled PET; Água Monchique had originally set itself the goal of using 25% rPET by 2025, but it has more than achieved its aim five years ahead of time. It is now working towards using 100% rPET.
“SIPA contributed some great design and engineering work for the new bottles, working together with an external design agency that curated the labels and the coordinated image,” says Mr. Vítor Hugo Gonçalves, CEO of Água Monchique. “The challenge was to create very attractive and at the same time light bottles, with geometries that give them an elegant and sophisticated appearance. We also had the challenge of creating bottles in diverse formats that all fitted together as a family. We are very happy with the results!”