just On Call - Jones Soda hints at plastic future

Jones Soda has outlined intentions to switch to PET bottles across its range.

In a conference call yesterday (10 May), the CEO of the US soft-drinks company, William Meissner, Carey said a switch to PET could help cut overheads at what is a difficult time for the company. Earlier  in the day, Jones Soda posted a US$1.7m net loss in first-quarter results, with sales dipping by 5.5%.

“As the brand matures, I think that becomes a very big upside opportunity,” said Meissner. “Our consumer tends to be on the go and they want portability. We can already see that in the success of the 16oz cans that are delivering for us above expectations.

“I think PET is a conversation for even our core brand, Jones [Soda]."

All Jones Soda variants come in glass bottles, except for those only in 12oz and 16oz cans.

Meissner was CMO at Fuse Beverages before joining Jones and oversaw the company's switch from glass to plastic. He said the change produced “significant increases across the board”.

Jones Soda has already paved the way to an all-PET rollout with the launch of Au Natural in March. The beverage, which for two years will only be sold through natural food channels, is a low-calorie health drink in PET packaging. Meissner said the product had big potential for the future and was created to capture the 1% to 3% of customers a year who drop big CSD brands in favour of something healthier.

Also in the call, Meissner said his company's retail authorisation with Safeway, announced late last year, was 35% rolled out. “We see an increase in our base coming from that,” he said.