From Monkey 47 to Kessler Sekt: Sustainable and innovative packaging from Metsä Board

In the drinks industry, packaging has long been more than just a protective covering: it conveys brand values, attracts attention at the point of sale and, at the same time, must meet increasing demands for resource efficiency, recyclability and logistics. This is precisely where Metsä Board comes in. The Finnish company develops and produces lightweight, premium-quality virgin fibre paperboards.

We spoke to Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs, Marketing Communications Manager at Metsä Board for European markets, about the possibilities offered by modern cardboard packaging, specific projects in the drinks industry and why manufacturers should now be thinking about their packaging more strategically than ever before.

How long has Metsä Board been in existence and what does the company do?

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: The roots of Metsä Board go back to 1986 Metsä Board traces its roots back to 1868, while the company in its current form was created in 1986 through the merger of Metsäliiton Teollisuus and G.A. Serlachius; since 2012 we have carried the current name. We develop and produce lightweight premium board grades made from fresh fibres – from folding boxboard to food service board and white kraftliner.

For brand manufacturers and producers, this means above all: Packaging can now be designed to better combine product protection, brand impact and sustainability goals. Our boards are based on pure virgin fibres from Northern European forests, whose origin can be traced back to the source. They are renewable and recyclable. At the same time, we are working to become free from fossil fuels in our production by 2030.

Especially for beverage manufacturers, packaging becomes a strategic topic: It not only influences perception at the point of sale, but also material usage, transport efficiency and recyclability.

For which sectors do you work?

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: We work with companies from very diverse sectors – from food, pharma and beauty manufacturers to electronics and beverage companies. The same question always takes centre stage: Which packaging solution best fits the product, the brand and the requirements of the particular market?

For the beverage sector, this is particularly relevant because packaging must fulfil several tasks at once: It must attract attention, convey brand values, work in logistics and simultaneously meet today’s requirements for resource efficiency and recyclability. The same, of course, applies to POS displays. This is exactly where we position our solutions.

Depending on the beverage, there may be additional packaging requirements to consider. For tea and coffee, for example, material purity is particularly important, as the product may come into direct contact with the packaging. Naturally, any unwanted odours or flavours must be prevented from transferring to the product.

Such off-notes can originate from a variety of sources, including the paperboard itself, printing inks, coatings, adhesives or laminates used in the packaging structure. There are many potential sources of off-odours and off-flavours, making it important to identify and minimise them.

In addition to gas chromatography analyses and testing in accordance with the European standard EN 1230-2, many companies – including ours – rely on an additional sensory assessment known as the Robinson test. This method enables the reliable detection of off-flavours and odours, even when the concentrations measured by instrumental testing methods appear insignificant. In addition to analytical methods such as gas chromatography, many companies – including ours – use sensory evaluation methods in accordance with the European standard EN 1230-2 to assess potential off-flavours and odours. These methods can detect sensory deviations even when the concentrations measured by instrumental techniques are very low.

Virgin fibre paperboards also offer an advantage in this respect, as their composition is fully known and all raw materials and chemicals undergo a thorough evaluation process.

What products do you offer?

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: Our range includes single and double coated folding boxboards (GC1 and GC2) as well as white kraftliner and barrier-coated solutions for the food service sector.

What connects our portfolio is above all the lightweighting approach. This is an important lever for brand manufacturers, because with reduced material usage, several goals can often be achieved at once: less resource consumption in production, lower transport weight and thus a reduced carbon footprint along the supply chain.

For beverage manufacturers, this can be especially interesting, because packaging in this category is not only a carrier of design, but also has a direct impact on efficiency, handling and sustainability performance.

Especially in food and beverage applications, barrier solutions are a key consideration. We offer paperboard grades with single and double PE coatings. Single-coated (1PE) board is used, for example, for hot beverages, while double-coated (2PE) board is commonly used for chilled cups such as ice cream and for frozen food packaging, providing a barrier against liquids and moisture. Reducing the plastic content of these barrier solutions even further while making the end product lighter is an area our R&D team is continuously researching.

Who are your customers in the beverage industry – internationally and specifically in Germany?

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: We work with brand owners across a wide range of sectors and support them with their packaging needs. This ranges from small Finnish breweries such as Olutmylly, with whom we developed a tasting pack last year, to partners with whom we created the Monkey 47 Gin display, through to international flagship brands such as Starbucks.

In recent years, we have also worked closely with German partners, for example Kessler, Germany’s oldest sparkling wine producer, and Weingut Prinz von Hessen. For the former, together with Benz & Co. and the Print City Alliance, we developed a premium cardboard champagne cooler; for the latter, we created packaging that serves both as a gift box and as transport packaging.

Let’s take a look at some of your work: In 2025, you contributed the cardboard for the Monkey 47 display, which won the Wellpappe Austria Award. Tell us about it!

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: The project around Monkey 47 is a good example of how packaging can strongly influence the perception of a beverage brand at the POS. Together with Halle Karton, Margarethner Verpackungsgesellschaft (MVG) and Pernod Ricard Austria, we developed a display that combines visual appeal, functionality and material efficiency.

What stands out most is the slanted placement of the bottles, which gives the display a high degree of dynamism and significantly increases brand presence on the shelf or sales floor. At the same time, safety lugs on the shelves provide stability. This means the construction is not only attention-grabbing, but also practical for everyday use in retail.

Another example is the packaging for 1000 Lakes Gin, which you developed at the Excellence Centre in Äänekoski. What was special about it?

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: The project is already a bit old, but it still effectively shows, what role packaging can play in the premium drinks segment. The packaging we developed for 1000 Lakes Gin back then not only protects the product, but also tells the brand’s story. In this case, the aim was to bring the purity of the ingredients and the connection to Finnish spring water to life, both visually and through touch.

This resulted in a packaging solution where the bottle appears to be frozen in a block of ice. The effect was achieved through various print layers in UV printing on silver, PET-laminated board. This was complemented by textured varnishing, which creates a frosty feel.

For beverage manufacturers, this is an important point from our perspective: Packaging can help make product quality and the brand world sensually tangible even before opening. Especially in the spirits sector, where purchasing decisions are often strongly emotionally driven, this is a real added value.

At the same time, the project shows that high-quality appearance and recyclability do not have to be mutually exclusive. Despite the striking look, no plastic was used, so the packaging is easily recyclable.

Together with the Print City Alliance, you have developed a fibre-based sparkling wine cooler. What exactly does it look like?

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: The project aimed to develop a multifunctional package that performs well in use and also functions as a high-quality brand presence. Together with Print City Alliance, Benz & Co. (a catering company whose experience dates back to the 1930s) and Kessler, Germany’s oldest sparkling wine cellar, a fibre-based sparkling wine cooler was created that is fully recyclable and at the same time has a strong presence at the POS or in gastronomy.

The special feature is the integrated cooling system. MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB, a dispersion-coated barrier board, was used for this. Moisture resistance was further increased by a special waterproof varnish. For the outer part, MetsäBoard Prime FBB Bright was chosen because this grade combines high stability, very good whiteness and strong finishing properties.

For beverage manufacturers, such a project is particularly exciting because it shows that fibre-based packaging can also be considered for applications that traditionally would not immediately be associated with board. It’s not just about replacing a material, but about new packaging ideas that combine brand impact, function and recyclability.

What other, perhaps unusual, projects have you implemented?

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: There have actually been several. What is most interesting for us is that such projects often show how much innovation potential packaging has when familiar solutions are rethought.

One of the more recent projects is the V6-Motor Tasting Pack for the Finnish brewery Olutmylly. The packaging was designed so that six beer cans resemble the pistons of a V6 engine. For beverage brands, this is a good example of how packaging can become an experience: It not only transports the product, but also strengthens storytelling, recognition and conversation value.

What’s in store for Metsä Board this year?

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: This year we are especially driving topics that are immediately relevant for brand owners and packaging developers in Europe. Recently we opened our new Packaging Design Studio in Milan. There, we aim to intensify collaboration with European brands, processors and packaging developers and bring packaging innovations to application more quickly.

We offer workshops, design sprints and co-creation sessions there. This is supported by modern tools and AI-powered design and simulation technologies that enable ideas to be developed and tested faster. For beverage manufacturers, this is particularly interesting when it comes to considering packaging strategically earlier in the development process – not just at the end.

In addition, at the beginning of the year we acquired a cutting and distribution centre in Winschoten in the Netherlands and added MetsäBoard Pro FBB Go, a new high-quality folding boxboard to our portfolio, which is versatile and supported by reliable sheet availability. Together with the new distribution centre, we can offer FastTrack and ExpressTrack services for selected products, enabling significantly shorter delivery times in Europe.

For many manufacturers, packaging is currently being reassessed from the perspective of resilience: availability, speed, planning and development partnership are becoming more important. This is exactly where we want to be a strong partner in 2026.

Why should beverage manufacturers think about packaging more strategically today than a few years ago?

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: Because packaging in the beverage sector now goes far beyond mere product protection. It shapes how a product is perceived on the shelf, in the hospitality sector or in e-commerce, and it also plays an important role at the point of sale – for example, through displays or other promotional solutions that create additional visibility.

Especially in a highly competitive market, it can help sharpen brand profiles, make products appear more premium and trigger buying impulses. At the same time, resource efficiency, recyclability and material usage have become more important for many manufacturers. That’s why packaging is increasingly understood as an interplay of brand presence, functionality and sustainability.

How does Metsä Board support beverage manufacturers and brands in developing new packaging solutions?

Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs: We see ourselves not only as a board manufacturer, but also as a development partner. Especially in the beverage sector, the best solutions often arise when packaging is considered early in the process – that is, not only at the end when it’s just about material selection.

With our Excellence Centre in Äänekoski and the new Packaging Design Studio in Milan, we have two important points of contact. At the Excellence Centre, we work with customers to develop new packaging concepts, test structures, materials and finishes and check how brand ideas can be implemented in practice. There, innovative approaches can emerge that combine function, sustainability and brand staging.

The Packaging Design Studio in Milan further strengthens collaboration with European brand owners, processors and packaging developers. There we offer workshops, design sprints and co-creation sessions. This is supported by modern tools and AI-powered design and simulation technologies, allowing ideas to be visualised, further developed and tested more quickly.

For beverage manufacturers this means quite simply: They not only receive a board, but support in considering how packaging should appear at the point of sale, which requirements it must fulfil in logistics and use, and how sustainability, function and brand presence can be sensibly combined.

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+++ We’d like to thank Bettina Tschoner-Fuchs for the open and very interesting interview! If you have an interesting brand, we should talk. Just send us an email with the subject line “about-drinks Interview” to redaktion@about-drinks.com – we look forward to hearing from you! +++