The beverage paper industry uses wood as its base material. This innovation changed it because it brought a new “pulping process” to the market which was designed specifically for non-wood biomass such as leftover straws from agricultural farming.?

Corona developed a circular and sustainable pack through a whole new pulping process, mixing the barley straws with 100% recycled wood fibers. This packaging surpasses the quality of the six pack holder we’ve been using in the past and takes advantage of all the ingredients our beer is made of without leaving waste nor taking advantage from the environment.

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We started out with intensive research work carried out at the world´s leading brewer AB InBev´s Global Innovation and Technology Center. ?

Traditional wood pulping process requires intense pressures and high temperatures to break down a wood chip into a fiber that can be used for paper. We found a new way to handle the more delicate fibers. Using the traditional process exactly was too intense, not reaching a particularly good fiber.?

The biggest challenge was achieving excellent performance. We started with the performance we already had and found that we could achieve more.?

In the past year, the challenge was getting our team together in the right places, even focusing on virtual trials, ideation workshops and team meetings.?

This project requires assembling a new value chain, leveraging some old partners and some new. It’s been over a 3 year process more than $1M in technology investment.?

Corona wants to become the most sustainable beer brand in the world. This innovation built the Brand equity and increased consumer perceptions to pursue global supply chain development for barley pulp packaging.?

Each form of packaging uses a lot of resources like energy, water, wood. Consumer are concerned about waste, so we are offering a new environmentally friendly alternative. ?

This innovation stands up to the rigors of the beverage industry’s consumer journey, while adding value for farmers and local economies. Farmers get more value from their agriculture, an industry in created around biomass collection, new pulping facility investments are being made and Jobs created, paper machines that couldn’t compete in the beverage industry are now able to participate and brands and consumers get the reward of more interesting products.?

New to world pulping process designed specifically to achieve strong paper making fibers from non-wood biomass, and barley straw.?

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Intensive research work carried out more than 3 years at the world´s leading brewer AB InBev´s Global Innovation and Technology Center. ?

- January 2018, GITEC, ABI’s Global Innovation Technology Center, approached SFT Sustainable Fiber Technology, about working together with wheat?.

- May 2018, first trials on a small scale paper machine?.

- Aug 2018, lab testing results and planning next steps?.

- 2H 2018 and 1H 2019, much time spend exploring molded fiber rings?.

- 2H 2019 put focus back on folding cartón development, and started leveraging barley?.

- 2020 ran 3 trials on full scale paper machines, exploring many avenues and recipes?.

- January 2021 completed converting steps and final 6pk testing for launch?.

- March 2021 Barley pack was launched in Colombia and was announced on World Recycling Day, having a global impact.

We make a very strong paper making fiber from non-Wood biomass, by leveraging a new to world pulping process.?

We combine various fibers together and run on various types of paper machines, to create new to world packaging paper materials with unique properties both visually and physical performance.?

We are in the development stage on many fronts, but are very confident in our recipe for 6pk basket paperboard which uses a combination of 100% recycled wood fibers and fibers created from barley Straw that remains after harvest.?

Corona launched the new six-pack box in Colombia in March with an initial output of 10,000 units and will introduce it soon to other markets around the world.?

This is only the beginning and we are incredibly excited about the future of this new Technology Platform.

Successful creation of new fiber material, is leading to succesful recipes in paper making for various packaging solutions.?

Going to change the paper industry forever, lowering costs of raw materials for non-vertically integrated competition, increasing the flexibility in the industry to create more exciting paper options for Brands, without huge cost increase.?

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Current and Future investment plans are not public, but you can imagine what needs to be done to make this big of a shift in the value chain, and we are the instigators making it happen in the beverage industry.