Drinks-maker aims for plastic-free production

MANY drinks producers have been criticised for including single-use plastic bottles within their manufacturing process.

But Slades Beverages, based in Dunnstown since 2012, is working to keep their model and products as green as possible.

Rolling out drinks including Cottonwood Springs and Just water, and plant-based oat and almond milks, managing director George Tan said the aim is to “eliminate plastic all together.”

“The focus for us has always been keeping our manufacturing story local, sustainable, and to see what the up-and-coming trends are, so we can add more capabilities and value to our clients,” he said.

“We’re trying to be more sustainable in our packaging. An opportunity to do that has been working with Tetra Pak. We knew they had one of the most recyclable bottles, paper-based, using less than three or four per cent PET plastic.

“It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was better than what we were doing, and we’re following the trend. We do believe in being a small player that can make good locally, encouraging the other bigger brands to do the same.”

Not only is their packaging more sustainable than ever, plant-based products also reduce Slades’ carbon footprint.

“Milk and dairy contribute greenhouse emissions that are comparable to cars and the travel industry. One way we can decrease that, is encouraging people and our clientele to go for a plant-based alternative,” Mr Tan said.

“We have the capability to produce long shelf-life oat milk and almond milk. We are using locally sourced oats, and have sourced almonds from South Australia.

“We also just recently started working with Australian Primary Hemp, based in Geelong, to produce a plant-based hemp milk, with some oats.”

Tetra Pak’s managing director of the Oceania market area Andrew Pooch is proud to partner with Slades to make it all happen.

“Through our continued collaboration, we have seen them expand their portfolio into growth categories such as water and plant-based alternative milks,” he said.

“We’re excited for what the future holds for Slades Beverages, and are looking forward to continuing to support its move towards becoming more sustainable, and to positively impact the Ballarat community.

“Sustainability has always been at the heart of our business operations and we are committed to helping customers such as Slades reduce the environmental footprint of their products and services, without compromising food safety or quality.”

Slades Beverages dates to 1860. Mr Tan and his father took over the brand in 2001 from the original family, who had run the company for at least three generations.

They source their own spring water from Dunnstown. Carlton United Breweries owned the property beforehand, and ran it as a spring water plant.

“Mount Warrenheip has some of the best spring water in the area. The water on spring has some of the highest silica minerals, with a silky profile,” Mr Tan said.

A newly-built factory is on site, alongside an original heritage distillery building. The team are planning to beautify the property further, with landscaping and a wetland area, and hope to cover the factory roof in solar panels.