02. Jul 2026
Avantium collaborates with Gepack and Frubaça on small PEF bottles for functional beverage shots
Avantium is collaborating with Gepack and Frubaça to explore the use of Avantium’s PEF (polyethylene furanoate), marketed as releaf®, in bottles for functional beverage shots.
The project brings together partners across the value chain to demonstrate the application of PEF in small-format beverage packaging. Gepack is a Portugal-based manufacturer of PET bottles, and Frubaça is a Portuguese producer of fresh juices and functional beverages. Gepack produces the bottles, which are filled by Frubaça for use in shot-based beverage applications. The collaboration focuses on validating processing and performance across the full production chain, from bottle manufacturing to filling.
PEF is a high-performance, biobased and recyclable material designed to offer improved barrier performance compared to conventional fossil-based plastics, helping to preserve flavour and quality in beverages. By applying PEF to shot formats, the partners aim to demonstrate how renewable materials can be integrated into existing beverage applications and supply chains. The partners are evaluating how Avantium’s PEF performs in this application and how it can support product protection, extend shelf life and contribute to reducing the environmental impact of packaging for functional beverage shots.
“This project demonstrates how new materials can be integrated into existing bottle production processes”, comments Lígia Passos, Head of R&D at Gepack. “Working with Avantium and partners enables us to evaluate PEF in a real application and across the value chain.”
Bineke Posthumus, Commercial Director at Avantium, adds: “Collaborating across the value chain is essential to assess how new materials perform in real applications. This project allows us to evaluate PEF across the full process, in a compact and distinctive shot format – a category that combines strong consumer appeal with a real need for high performance, more sustainable packaging.” AT
avantium.com
Image: Screenshot from COPA, brand of FRUBAÇA, for illustrative purposes only – product displayed is already on the market and the displayed bottles are currently not made from PEF.