Monterey Wine Company sees repeat orders, major retail adoption and international demand for Frugal Bottles made in California
October 22, 2026 — The United States’ first paper bottle manufacturing facility is marking two years of production with growing demand from wine and spirits brands, repeat orders and bottles made in the state now reaching consumers across North America and beyond.
Monterey Wine Company (MWC), based in King City on California’s Central Coast, became the first US company to manufacture Frugalpac’s low-carbon paper Frugal Bottle after installing a Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine in 2024.
Since then, the facility has helped turn paper bottles from an emerging packaging innovation into a commercially available alternative to glass for North American drinks producers.
Frugal Bottles with wines and spirits produced by MWC have been on shelf including Target and Whole Foods Market, 7-Eleven and Total Wine & More.
The facility is now seeing further evidence of repeat demand.
Two Petalscape California wines – a 2025 Sauvignon Blanc and NV Red Blend from Scout & Cellar, part of Full Glass Wine Co. – launched in Frugal Bottles produced at MWC earlier this year. Following strong consumer demand all bottles sold out with a further order now placed to replenish stock.
MWC is also helping take California-made paper bottles into new international markets, having manufactured Frugal Bottles for Mexican spirits producer Blessed Remedy Spirits, which is now launching its Mezcólogo Mezcal Artesanal Espadín– the world’s first mezcal in a paper bottle and the very first to be launched in Mexico. It’s currently available via Amazon and will be on shelf in Chedraui stores in Mexico.
A second product, Metoro Mezcal Artesanal Espadín, is being exported to Australia, demonstrating how paper bottles manufactured in California can serve brands and consumers beyond the US market.
The success comes after MWC and the Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine were featured on CBS Weekend News. Following the broadcast, MWC reported being inundated with enquiries from retailers and drinks brands wanting to know where they could source Frugal Bottles.
Shannon Valladarez, General Manager at Monterey Wine Company, said:
“Two years ago we believed there was a real opportunity to give American wine and spirits producers an alternative to traditional glass packaging. What we’ve seen since then has reinforced that belief.
“We’ve gone from establishing the first Frugal Bottle production facility in the United States to producing bottles for brands reaching some of America’s best-known retailers, welcoming new customers and now seeing repeat orders.
“Petalscape is particularly encouraging because the initial wines sold out and we’re now producing more. That’s exactly what you want to see – consumers responding positively and a customer coming back for another order.
“We’re also now producing bottles that are travelling beyond the United States. Seeing Frugal Bottles made here in King City being used for the first paper-bottled mezcal in Mexico, as well as a launch in Australia, shows the potential of this facility.
“We have the capability here in California to manufacture, fill and pack Frugal Bottles for drinks brands, and we’d encourage any winery, distiller or beverage company considering an alternative to glass to come and talk to us.”
Frugalpac’s strategy is to manufacture the bottles closer to drinks producers rather than shipping empty bottles long distances.
The original Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine installed at Monterey can produce up to 2.5 million bottles a year.
Louis Amoroso, CEO Full Glass Wine Co, which produces Petalscape, said:
“Petalscape was created for the way people increasingly enjoy wine – not only around the dinner table, but at picnics, festivals and other outdoor occasions where glass can be heavy or unsuitable.
“We chose the Frugal Bottle because we wanted Petalscape to combine great California wine with packaging that was genuinely different and had a significantly lower carbon footprint than traditional glass.
“The response has exceeded our expectations. Our first production run sold out and we’ve now placed a further order with Monterey Wine Company, showing that consumers recognise and value the practical benefits of paper bottles.
“What has been particularly important for us is having the bottles manufactured here in California. Monterey has made adopting a completely different packaging format straightforward, from producing the bottles through to filling and packing the finished wine.
“We believe innovative packaging can help wine brands reach consumers in new places and in ways that better reflect how they live today.”
Eberth Vera, founder and CEO of Blessed Remedy Spirits, said:
“When we decided to launch the world’s first mezcal in a paper bottle, we needed a partner that could turn that ambition into a commercially produced bottle.
“Monterey Wine Company gave us access to Frugal Bottles manufactured in California, close enough to supply our launch in Mexico and with the capability to support our wider international ambitions.
“We’re now launching Mezcólogo in Mexico’s first paper bottle, while Frugal Bottles produced by Monterey are also being used for our Metoro Mezcal destined for Australia.
“For a Mexican producer like us, having this manufacturing capability in California is incredibly important. It demonstrates that innovative, lower-carbon packaging is no longer something drinks brands have to source from the other side of the world – it’s available here in North America today.
“We hope our launch encourages other wine and spirits producers across Mexico and North America to look seriously at what paper bottles could do for their brands.”
Malcolm Waugh, CEO of Frugalpac, said:
“When Monterey invested in our machine, the vision was simple: instead of transporting huge quantities of heavy empty glass bottles around the world, manufacture low-carbon paper bottles close to where drinks are produced and filled.
“What has happened in California shows that model works. Monterey has helped take Frugal Bottles from pioneering US launches to major retail shelves, repeat orders and now exports of California-made bottles into new international markets like Mexico
“The Petalscape reorder is especially important. Sustainability can get a new product onto the shelf, but consumers have to want to buy it. Selling through and ordering again is compelling evidence that paper bottles can succeed commercially as well as environmentally.
“And the first paper bottle in Mexico demonstrates something else: one Frugal Bottle manufacturing facility can become a hub serving drinks producers across a much wider region.
“Our message to North American wine and spirits brands is straightforward: you don’t have to wait for the future of drinks packaging. It’s already being manufactured in California.
“If you’re looking to reduce the carbon footprint and weight of your packaging, create something that really stands out on shelf and move away from reliance on heavy glass, Monterey Wine Company can make and fill Frugal Bottles today.”
MWC’s progress reflects wider growth in the Frugal Bottle. More than four million Frugal Bottles have now been produced globally, with the format appearing at major retailers including Target, Whole Foods, 7-Eleven, Aldi and Sainsbury’s.
Frugalpac believes local production is critical to accelerating that adoption. Rather than transporting finished empty bottles long distances, Frugal Bottle Assembly Machines allow paperboard and pouches to be transported flat and bottles assembled close to filling facilities.
MWC is strategically located in King City on California’s Central Coast and provides drinks businesses with bottle manufacture, filling and packing through a single facility.
Shannon Valladarez added:
“We’ve proved the production capability is here and we’ve proved there’s demand.
“The next stage is about scale. There are thousands of wineries and drinks producers across North America still packaging almost entirely in glass. We want them to know there is now a proven alternative being made right here in California.”
About Frugalpac
Frugalpac Limited is a British sustainable packaging company developing a range of innovative sustainable packaging products. It creates and supplies recycled paper-based products with the lowest carbon footprint that are easily recycled again.
In 2020, it launched the Frugal Bottle, the world’s first and only commercially available paper bottle for wines and spirits, with a carbon footprint 84% lower than a glass bottle.
All Frugalpac products are made from at least 90% recycled paper, are easily recyclable again and have the lowest carbon footprint compared with conventional and compostable packaging. They also create and sell the machines that make their paper products.
Frugalpac, which won SME of the Year at the UK Green Business Awards and a King’s Award for Enterprise, has secured £25m in funding.
