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Princes agrees ‘landmark’ co-packing deal with Capri-Sun

25-Mar-2024 - Last updated on 27-Mar-2024 at 09:29 GMT

Princes has agreed to produce 250 million pouches of Capri-Sun at its production facility in Bradford (pictured)

Princes has agreed a ‘landmark’ deal with drinks manufacturer Capri-Sun to produce 250m of its titular juice pouches at its production facility in Bradford, creating up to 60 new jobs.

The partnership followed a recent move by Capri-Sun that’s aw the company bring sales and distribution in-house after a long-term agreement with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP).

In order to meet increased demand, the Princes contract with Capri-Sun will involve a transfer of four production lines from CCEP to Princes’ Bradford site, with the creation around 50-60 new jobs in the area.

Operational in summer

Production will begin in autumn 2024, with all lines set to be fully operational by spring 2025. To ensure a smooth transition from CCEP, Princes has already started supporting Capri-Sun with warehousing and logistics services.

Andy Hargraves, group commercial director for drinks at Princes, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be bringing Capri-Sun pouches to Bradford – the new UK home of this iconic and much-loved brand.

“Establishing this partnership is a significant milestone in the continued growth of our drinks business, creating around 50-60 new job opportunities in the local area. Princes is looking forward to partnering with Capri-Sun to support their ambitions now, and in the future.”

Bradford is Princes’ largest soft drinks production site in the UK, with around 400 colleagues and 8 production lines for dilutes, carbonates and ready-to-drink products.

Co-packing plans

Princes will be co-packing two Capri-Sun formats: 200ml pouches with paper straws and 330ml pouches with a screw cap.

Capri-Sun planned to support the transition by moving to recyclable pouches (kerbside for 330ml and at large supermarkets for 200ml) and also introducing tethered caps on the 330ml pouches.

Stefan Seiss at Capri-Sun Group Holding AG added: “We are very excited to go into this collaboration between Princes and Capri-Sun. Over the last months the supply chain and engineering departments were working very closely together to prepare the transition of the production lines into the Bradford site.

“It is great to see that the expertise and the positive attitude on both sides will deliver a new production setup to fulfil the demand and the quality to support the growth of Capri-Sun in Great Britain.”