Food and Drink Industry 24 – 30 Aug: Ft Amcor, Tiptree and Bakers + Baristas
- Amcor and Tiptree have introduced certified packaging films containing 30% post-consumer recycled plastic.
- Bakers + Baristas has appointed Miko Coffee as its strategic coffee partner under a five-year agreement.
Two significant partnerships are highlighting how businesses across the UK food and beverage sector are placing greater emphasis on sustainability, operational performance and long-term supply chain resilience.
Global packaging specialist Amcor has partnered with Tiptree, the preserves and spreads brand owned by Wilkin & Sons, to introduce certified post-consumer recycled packaging films ahead of forthcoming changes to the UK Plastic Packaging Tax.
Meanwhile, Bakers + Baristas has selected Miko Coffee as its strategic coffee partner under a five-year agreement covering its entire estate of 62 locations across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Although the two projects focus on very different areas of the food supply chain, they share a common theme: businesses are increasingly looking beyond individual products and towards integrated solutions capable of improving performance, compliance, consistency and customer experience.
Amcor Helps Tiptree Prepare for Plastic Packaging Tax Changes
Tiptree has transitioned to Amcor‘s RecyClass-certified collation shrink film and Bontite Sustane stretch wrap, with both packaging products incorporating 30% post-consumer recycled content.
The films are being used for Tiptree’s shrink packaging and pallet stretch wrap, enabling the manufacturer to increase its use of certified recycled materials while maintaining the strength and operational performance required throughout its logistics operations.
The development is particularly significant because of changes coming to the UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax in April 2027.
Under the revised requirements, post-industrial recycled material will no longer contribute towards the minimum 30% recycled plastic threshold required under the tax framework. Instead, only post-consumer recycled content will qualify.
That distinction means manufacturers and packaging users will need greater certainty over where recycled plastic originates and whether it meets the relevant regulatory criteria.
For Tiptree, independently verified PCR content therefore provides both an environmental benefit and greater confidence when preparing for future taxation and reporting requirements.
Certification and Traceability Become Increasingly Important
Both films selected by Tiptree are manufactured at Amcor’s UK facilities in Leominster and Bromborough and hold RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability Certification under EN15343.
The certification independently verifies the PCR plastic incorporated into each film while demonstrating that recycled materials can be traced through controlled production processes aligned with recognised European standards.
This traceability is becoming increasingly important as businesses face growing scrutiny over sustainability claims.
The packaging buyer at Wilkin & Sons described the company’s relationship with Amcor as collaborative, explaining that it was natural to draw on Amcor’s expertise when preparing for the forthcoming PPT changes.
Wilkin & Sons has already been incorporating recycled content into its packaging, but independent RecyClass verification provides additional confidence around the origin and traceability of those materials.
Crucially, the company has also been able to retain the packaging performance and operational efficiency required by the business.
Recycled Content Without Sacrificing Performance
Introducing recycled plastic into technically demanding packaging applications is not always straightforward.
Shrink and stretch films need to withstand significant stresses during packing, palletisation, storage and transportation. Any reduction in consistency or strength can create problems ranging from damaged products to unstable loads and increased material consumption.
Amcor’s Sales Director said the company has worked with Tiptree for many years and continues to explore ways of increasing recycled content without compromising performance.
According to Amcor, incorporating PCR into shrink and stretch film can be technically challenging, making strength, consistency and processing efficiency essential considerations when developing recycled-content solutions.
Customers are also increasingly looking beyond the percentage of recycled material contained within a product.
They want to understand where that material originates, how its recycled status has been verified and whether the resulting packaging will continue to perform reliably in real-world manufacturing and logistics environments.
By combining certified PCR content with established film technology, Amcor believes customers can respond to changing regulatory requirements while protecting products, improving packaging efficiency and considering the overall cost of ownership.
Bakers + Baristas Selects Miko Coffee for Five-Year Partnership
Elsewhere in the food and beverage industry, Bakers + Baristas has entered into a five-year strategic partnership with Miko Coffee to transform its coffee programme across 62 locations in the UK and Ireland.
Collectively, the estate serves approximately four million cups of coffee each year, making consistency across equipment, ingredients and staff training particularly important.
The relationship originally began through Miko’s supply of SHOTT flavoured syrups but has since developed into a fully managed coffee partnership.
The new arrangement encompasses Puro Fairtrade Organic coffee, Portioli premium coffee, traditional espresso equipment, barista training, technical support, menu development, bespoke branding, quality assurance and dedicated account management.
It represents a much broader approach than simply changing coffee suppliers.
Instead, Bakers + Baristas and Miko have reviewed the entire customer coffee experience, from sourcing and preparation through to equipment reliability and the skills of employees preparing each drink.
62-Site Rollout Completed in Just Eight Weeks
The nationwide programme was completed across all 62 Bakers + Baristas locations in only eight weeks.
Miko installed 43 Rancilio Invicta three-group traditional espresso machines alongside three two-group machines.
The equipment package also includes Eureka Helios 65 and 75 grinders, Eureka Mignon grinders dedicated to decaffeinated coffee, Magrini blenders with cold foam jugs, Eureka automatic tampers and Marco hot water boilers.
Together, the equipment provides a standardised platform for producing espresso-based beverages across the entire estate.
Further upgrades are also planned as the five-year partnership develops.
Supporting the hardware investment is Miko’s nationwide network of 30 field engineers, backed by a dedicated workshop and service planning team.
This infrastructure is designed to reduce disruption, maintain equipment performance and provide Bakers + Baristas with consistent technical support across geographically dispersed sites.
Barista Training Takes Centre Stage
Equipment alone cannot guarantee consistency across millions of cups of coffee, which is why training has formed a central part of the programme.
Miko has introduced its “Train the Champion” initiative, equipping selected team members at individual locations with the knowledge and practical skills required to maintain high standards.
Those employees can then help reinforce best practice within their respective stores.
The training programme is supported by continuing quality audits, refresher sessions and operational reviews, allowing the partners to identify areas where coffee quality or processes can be further improved.
The Group Managing Director at Bakers + Baristas said coffee has always been at the heart of the business and that changing the company’s coffee proposition required significantly more than simply selecting another blend.
Over an 18-month period, Bakers + Baristas and Miko examined the entire journey behind each cup, resulting in investment in higher-quality beans, equipment, employee training and more robust quality controls.
Bakers + Baristas has also highlighted the Organic and Fairtrade certification of its new coffee and its support for the World Land Trust.
However, the company said one of the biggest achievements has been the contribution made by teams throughout the business in delivering the programme.
Miko Coffee’s Sales Director added that the partnership was designed from the outset to extend beyond supplying coffee and equipment, with both companies working collaboratively to create a programme capable of reflecting the Bakers + Baristas brand and improving the customer experience.
What the Developments Mean for Food Manufacturing and Production
The two partnerships demonstrate how investment within food manufacturing and production is increasingly extending beyond traditional production machinery.
Packaging compliance, recycled material traceability, equipment reliability, workforce training, product quality and supply chain support are all becoming interconnected considerations.
For food manufacturers, the approaching April 2027 Plastic Packaging Tax changes will place greater emphasis on accurately verified post-consumer recycled content. Companies may consequently need to review packaging specifications, suppliers and certification well ahead of the deadline rather than treating compliance as a last-minute exercise.
At the same time, the Bakers + Baristas and Miko partnership demonstrates the importance of standardisation across large foodservice operations.
Consistent machinery, structured maintenance programmes, employee training and quality assurance can reduce variation between locations while protecting product quality at scale.
For manufacturers supplying the foodservice market, these expectations could encourage further demand for ingredients, packaging, machinery and service solutions that are capable of delivering repeatable performance while also satisfying environmental and regulatory objectives.
Conclusion
The developments at Tiptree and Bakers + Baristas reflect two sides of the same transformation taking place across the wider food and beverage sector.
For Tiptree, the priority is ensuring its logistics packaging can incorporate independently verified PCR material while remaining strong, efficient and ready for the next stage of UK Plastic Packaging Tax legislation.
For Bakers + Baristas, investment is centred on the complete coffee experience, combining better ingredients with upgraded machinery, structured employee training, technical support and continued quality control across a sizable estate.
Amcor and Miko Coffee are consequently playing roles that extend well beyond those of conventional suppliers.
Both partnerships show how food businesses are increasingly demanding expertise, traceability, technical support and measurable performance alongside the products they purchase.
As regulatory expectations grow and customers continue to demand quality, sustainability and consistency, those kinds of long-term partnerships are likely to become an increasingly important part of how food manufacturers, brands and operators prepare for the future.
News Credits:
Bakers + Baristas selects Miko Coffee for five-year managed coffee partnership
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