Fridlin Gewürze
01/2025: The partnership between J. C. Fridlin Gewürze Ltd. and Vetropack, the glass packaging manufacturer, dates back many years. During this long period, various glass jars have been optimised in terms of design as well as sustainability. One particular highlight of the partnership is the introduction of a new lightweight glass that saves valuable resources throughout the entire value chain.
Adding variety to the spice rack: this is the challenge that J. C. Fridlin Gewürze Ltd. has made its mission for the last 250 years. Founded at Zug back in 1775, this Swiss family enterprise not only imports spices and herbs of every kind from all over the world, but also refines them in its own factory. In what is known as the milling plant, over 350 different products are created from around 100 natural raw materials (various parts of plants such as seeds, pieces of root, bark, flowers, leaves, and so on). Alongside classics such as black pepper, sweet and hot paprika or cinnamon (which is especially popular in winter), the range features many exotic spices and blends such as ajowan (from India), cardamom (from Guatemala) or the very intense cassia cinnamon from Indonesia.
“In many cases, we also develop blends to meet customers’ requests – these often consist of eight to twelve spices from different origins. Thanks to our own production in the milling plant – the only remaining spice mill of this size in Switzerland – we ourselves are able to influence the degree of processing and the quality. Wherever possible, we believe it’s very important to process pure and whole spices. That way, we can guarantee purity and quality,” says Benno Wyss: he joined Fridlin Gewürze 18 years ago and has been its CEO since summer 2024. Demand for convenience products has been a particular trend in recent years, he notes: they include spice blends that trigger an exceptional flavour experience in certain dishes – creations that are a recipe for certain success. Juniper berries are also gaining popularity due to the ongoing gin boom.
Improved design and lower weight for millions of jars each year
Fridlin Gewürze has a traditionally strong presence in Switzerland’s retail business, food industry and wholesale trade for the catering sector. “We also supply the retail and industrial sectors of the German and Austrian markets, but there’s still scope for expansion there: our core market is very definitely Switzerland,” Wyss continues. The longstanding collaboration between glass packaging manufacturer Vetropack and Fridlin Gewürze had its origins back in the late 1960s. “We really gained momentum again after the turn of the millennium, when we stepped up our collaboration with Vetropack and they became our main glass jar supplier. And most recently, in 2008, we joined forces with Vetropack to develop our own new jar design. A new design remains on the market for around 15 years until a major change comes about.” As a packaging material that is 100 percent recyclable and inert, glass is particularly well suited to the spice and herb sector. The contents are optimally protected, storage is effective, the shelf life is also outstanding – and attractive labelling adds the finishing touch to glass packaging.
«We really gained momentum again after the turn of the millennium, when we stepped up our collaboration with Vetropack and they became our main glass jar supplier.»
The scope of delivery now amounts to between 10 and 15 million units per year. Vetropack supplies Fridlin Gewürze with three different jars: two of them were optimised just recently, to save resources and offer a better response to end customers’ requirements. One of these jars involves lightweight glass. “We don't just view sustainability as an isolated issue – we consider it holistically throughout the entire value chain. But with global procurement, that’s no easy task. We pay regular visits to our 90 or so suppliers, we give them the best support we can, and we’re committed to economic and social sustainability – but, of course, our scope of influence is limited,” Wyss explains. “We’re also investing in organic products – demand for them is very clearly present in Switzerland – and thanks to the Max Havelaar Fairtrade quality label, we have products in our range that are exemplary in terms of ecological as well as social criteria.”
Boosting efficiency and sustainability throughout the supply chain
Another benefit of Fridlin Gewürze’s partnership with Vetropack is the opportunity to work jointly on efficient ways of implementing measurable improvements to packaging. The packaging optimisation project launched in the first quarter of 2022 initially aimed to perfect the technical aspects of the jars. “Our prime objective is to combine a modern, sustainable packaging with optimal design. To achieve this, we place great value on resource-conserving production and minimal use of materials,” says Robert Simoni, Project Buyer for Packaging at Fridlin Gewürze for the last two and a half years.
The first step, at Fridlin Gewürze’s request, was to improve the design of the 225-ml jars: as the result of modified geometry in the lower section, the containers are now more stable and less likely to fall over. Another milestone was passed with the introduction of a lightweight glass jar from Vetropack. Simoni again: “The new 112-ml size replaces the previous 80-ml and 125-ml jars, and is 13 percent lighter in weight than a standard container. Taken across the entire value chain, this yields savings of around 190 metric tons of glass per year. Vetropack assisted us proactively and provided highly professional support for the whole venture – even after the project period had ended.”
Another advantage shared by the two new jars is optimised palletisation compared to the predecessor products: this improves resource efficiency during storage and transport and – above all – saves CO2 on a daily basis. “Our aim was to develop a modern design with a reduced carbon footprint as a contribution to overcoming the global challenge of climate protection – and that’s why we opted for a new design. Vetropack played their part by giving us proactive support – not only with design suggestions, but also for communication and realisation with the end customer.”
Benefits in theory, successfully in practice
All the benefits promised in theory at the outset were delivered successfully in practice:
- Proactive project management and communication (including the end customer)
- More sturdy and stable jars
- New lightweight glass weighing 13 percent less
- Optimised production, palletisation (with more layers) and logistics
- 190 metric tons of glass saved each year
Fridlin Gewürze is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. “We want to look to the future, face up to the challenges ahead, and not rest on the laurels of the last 250 years,” Wyss stresses. “Vetropack is an ideal partner to help us achieve this. Based on intensive dialogue and thanks to valuable suggestions for optimisation, we have come to know Vetropack as a flexible, innovative and professional glass manufacturer. Superb service and uninterrupted supply are critical factors – because nothing happens if there are no jars. Our collaboration with Vetropack gives us a partner who shares our values!”
