STAND-UP BEVERAGE POUCH FACILITY SET TO OPEN

MARYELLEN LO BOSCO

NORTHBROOK, Ill. -- The Children's Beverage Group here has signed a letter of intent to open the first state-of-the-art stand-up pouch facility in the United States.

The plant will make beverage packaging that uses a patented self-contained fluid-dispensing system -- the first of its kind in the United States.

The facility is 120,000 square feet and is located in Rochester, N.Y. The plant will use the latest beverage-making machinery and package-making technology to create the children's stand-up beverage pouch, according to a company news release.

"This one-of-a-kind manufacturing facility will give The Children's Beverage Group an additional $30 million manufacturing capacity by the year 2000," said Jon Darmstadter, president of the company. "It also positions us to begin to respond to the intense interest generated by our newly acquired patent, by a number of major branded players who wish to bring the pouch to the children's marketplace."

The fluid-dispensing system that is part of the pouch is known in the trade as the "rip it sip it" system. Wal-Mart recently launched a line of Great Value private-label children's juices that uses the new packaging.

As reported in SN, Children's Beverage signed an exclusive agreement with Power Group, St. Charles, Ill., to supply products to its member food marketers using the no-spill pouch containers. Clients include Cadbury Schweppes, Chiquita Brands, Coca-Cola/Minute Maid, Dole Food Co., Nestle, Ocean Spray, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, Tree Top and Tropicana.