Published: 29th November 2023
A leading UK premium peanut butter brand has opted for quality packaging by switching to a bespoke glass jar designed and manufactured by Beatson Clark.
Described as ‘the Champagne of peanut butters’, ManiLife is made in the UK using peanuts grown and hand sorted on a single estate in Argentina.
Initially the product was sold in plastic tubs but ManiLife has now commissioned a bespoke 275g white flint glass jar from Beatson Clark, which has made its production process more sustainable and brought other benefits too.
“The new jar is a genuine pleasure to use,” said Stu Macdonald, founder of ManiLife. “We designed it to make it supremely spoonable and easy to stir and I think the feedback reflects that.
“Our customers like the fact that we’ve moved from plastic to glass, for a wide range of reasons. The general consensus is that it looks far better and is far easier to use, which was our main consideration.
“The jar looks bigger and more premium, and the customer experience has improved significantly, so we’ve definitely seen an increase in sales as a result.”
Stu added that using a UK supplier of glass packaging was also an important consideration.
“We're a UK based manufacturer and so are Beatson Clark – it’s good to keep it on the island!” he said.
ManiLife started in 2015 when its founder Stu Macdonald moved to Argentina and met a family who owned a peanut estate in Córdoba. The company still sources all its peanuts from this estate to this day.
ManiLife prides itself as being the benchmark in quality for peanut butter globally. They only use the highest grade peanut on the market (to the extent they are hand sorted at origin). They are then shipped to UK to be roasted before being blended in small batches, a unique process for the mainstream.
From humble beginnings filling jars in a rugby club kitchen, ManiLife peanut butter is now sold in 1000s of UK stores including Waitrose, Sainsburys and Ocado, and the brand has partnered with leading names like Gousto, Hotel Chocolat and Leon to name just a few.
Glass packaging is 100% recyclable forever without any loss of strength or integrity. Moreover, using a UK-based manufacturer reduces the impacts of transportation on the environment.
Beatson Clark’s white flint glass contains 36% post-consumer recycled materials, and thanks to its on-site recycling plant the company can always be assured of a reliable supply of recycled cullet for melting in its furnaces to make new bottles and jars.
“Glass is the most sustainable packaging material you can choose, so it makes sense for ManiLife to move its products into these bespoke glass jars,” said Charlotte Pike, Marketing Manager at Beatson Clark.
“More and more brands are now appreciating the benefits of buying British packaging: it reduces transport miles, it ensures a reliable supply, and we’re always on hand to advise customers on new products or new marketing plans.”