ITO EN launches new flavors of ready-to-drink matcha LOVE® in innovative SIG SmileSmall carton packs in Japan

ITO EN, a key player in Japan’s beverage industry, will unveil new flavors of its ready-to-drink matcha LOVE® in the highly convenient and stylish SIG SmileSmall packaging solution perfectly suited for on-the-go consumption. The new flavors, Matcha Banana Latte and Matcha Cacao Latte offer consumers barista-style lattes in SIG SmileSmall carton packs.

 

Matcha has been an integral part of Japanese culture, and its popularity as a healthy ingredient is rapidly expanding overseas, especially its use as a flavoring in confectionery and processed foods. Recognizing this growing global interest, ITO EN’s new products offer visitors to Japan an innovative way to enjoy the traditional benefits of matcha while delivering a unique taste experience.

 

Yuya Tamua, matcha LOVE® Product Lead at ITO EN: “Our new products offer a new way to enjoy matcha in line with today's ever-changing lifestyles. As a company with a long history of Japanese tea expertise, we will continue to innovate and provide consumers with a refreshing and satisfying drinking experience. With SIG's filling and packaging technology, we will be able to diversify our product range and reach new consumers. The SIG SmileSmall carton packaging is a real eye-catcher with its iconic design and stands out on the retail shelf.”

 

Both new products, packaged in convenient on-the-go SIG SmileSmall carton packs, are aimed to help ITO EN expand its share in the ready-to-drink market, with a focus on visitors to Japan. Like all SIG carton packs, SIG SmileSmall is ‘sustainable by nature’, with a high share of forest-based renewable materials and designed to be fully recyclable.

 

Angela Lu, President & General Manager Asia Pacific at SIG: “In Japan, the market is driven by innovative, healthy, and high-quality beverages that appeal to discerning consumers. On-the-go consumption requires products that not only stand out on the shelf but also meet the evolving preferences for convenience and sustainability. By expanding our partnership with ITO EN, we look forward to new opportunities to innovate and meet the evolving needs of consumers.”

 

 

 

 

About SIG

 

SIG is a leading solutions provider of packaging for better – better for our customers, for consumers, and for the world. With our unique portfolio of aseptic carton, bag-in-box, and spouted pouch, we work in partnership with our customers to bring food and beverage products to consumers around the world in a safe, sustainable, and affordable way. Our technology and outstanding innovation capabilities enable us to provide our customers with versatile packaging systems and solutions for innovative products and smart operations, all to address the ever-changing needs of consumers. Sustainability is integral to our business and guides us on our journey to create packaging for better – packaging that gives more to people and the planet than it takes out.

 

Founded in 1853, SIG is headquartered in Neuhausen, Switzerland, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The skills and experience of our approximately 9,000 employees worldwide enable us to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of our customers in over 100 countries. In 2023, SIG produced 53 billion packs and generated €3.2 billion in revenue. SIG also has an AA ESG rating by MSCI, a 13.9 (low risk) score by Sustainalytics, Platinum CSR rating by EcoVadis, and is included in the FTSE4Good Index. For more information, visit our website.

 

For insights into trends that drive the food and beverage industry, visit the SIG blog.

 

 

About ITO EN

 

ITO EN aims to be a “health creation company'' that contributes to the health and enrichment of people's lives around the world and is focused on the “tea leaf-related business'' and “beverage-related business''. In the tea leaf-related business, ITO EN develops leaf products such as green tea, oolong tea, black tea, barley tea, and hojicha, as well as tea bags and instant products, as well as purchasing raw materials, processing, packaging, and selling them. In the beverage-related business, ITO EN sells “Oi Ocha,” which boasts the highest sales volume among tea-based beverages, as well as the non-caffeinated beverage Kenko Mineral Barley Tea, and vegetable products such as “One Day's worth of Vegetables,” coffee drinks such as “TULLY'S COFFEE'', and tea drinks such as “TULLY'S & TEA''.

 

 

About Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) Group

 

Leveraging its printing and information (P&I) technology, DNP has expanded its business from magazines and books printing to the fields of packaging, decorative materials, electronics components, mobility and healthcare science. We will contribute to a sustainable, better society and more enjoyable lifestyles, while solving social issues and creating future standards in consumers' daily lives, both in Japan and overseas. For more information, please visit https://www.global.dnp/

 

DNP conducts sales and maintenance management in Japan of "liquid paper containers for beverages and food" (container) developed by SIG and "aseptic filling systems" (system) used for filling and packaging the contents of these containers. A 50-50 joint venture between DNP and SIG will be responsible for supporting the introduction of SIG's unique "SIG SmileSmall" package to the Japanese market. Cosmo Foods Co., Ltd. is the first beverage filling packer in Japan to install SIG's state-of-the-art high-speed filling machine SIG SmileSmall 24 Aseptic and will be the beverage contractor for various brand owners. This will pave the way for providing busy consumers with on-trend beverages in a modern, convenient, and sustainable packaging solution specifically designed for on-the-go consumption.

 

 

 

 

 

Your contact for media inquiries:

Cheryl Lim

Communications Manager at SIG

Tel:     +65 6340 8176

Email: cheryl.limshiying@sig.biz