Infused waters break the ice in a hot-fill bottle

O Beverages of Cambridge, MA, has launched O Infused water in a custom, 17-oz PowerFlex(TM) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) panel-less, hot-fill bottle from Amcor PET Packaging (www.amcor.com). Featuring etching on the shoulder and base (a first for the PowerFlex), the bottle has a 38-mm neck finish and a larger capacity than past PowerFlex versions.

In 2005, O Beverages launched its first product, O Water, an "ultra purified" water with natural fruit flavors. But it didn't want to stop there. Consumers asked for more, explains Tom First, founder of O Beverages. His company wanted to differentiate itself in a crowded market and also wanted a premium look. "We looked at hot-fill PET bottles when we had our first launch, but the only ones available had ribs. We didn't like the way the ribs affected the ability to label the bottle, so we went in a different direction," First says. The product's development coincided with the commercialization of Amcor's PowerFlex bottle. O Beverages found the new bottle through distributor Zuckerman-Honickman (www.zh-inc.com).

The PowerFlex bottle features a patented structure that eliminates side panels and offers a smooth label panel that is free of ribs that might distort the labeling. A vacuum-absorbing base also prevents distortion that previously required the sidewall panels to absorb the vacuum caused after hot-filled beverages cool to room temperature. For the O Beverages custom bottle, Amcor used a patented stereo lithography (SLA) process to create rapid prototyping molds out of a liquid resin. The molds are built by adding multiple layers of resins over each other, so that the surface becomes a little grainy, and the texture is blown into the bottle prototypes. The infused-flavor water is available in seven varieties—Hydrate in black raspberry/orange; Vitalize in blueberry and peach mango; Replenish in lemon-lime; Soothe in lemon; and Energize in strawberry.