Anti-plastic campaigning soda brand GUNNA Drinks, has reported remarkable success since launching its infinitely recyclable aluminium bottled lemonades into Midcounties Co-op stores earlier this year. The brand has seen nearly a 3-fold increase in cash sales on the same fixture compared to its canned drinks, demonstrating a strong consumer appetite for sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic bottles.
The runaway success of GUNNA’s two 470ml aluminium bottled lemonades — Turtle Juice (Tropical Lemonade) and Pink Punk (Raspberry Lemonade) — has led to a significant expansion in distribution across the Midcounties Co-op group:
- GUNNA Raspberry Lemonade 470ml: Distribution has grown from 77 to 134 stores
- GUNNA Tropical Lemonade 470ml: Distribution has increased from 26 to 117 stores
This expansion represents more than a doubling of the brand’s distribution points within the Midcounties Co-op group. Additionally, GUNNA has secured prime front-of-store positioning as part of the retailer’s meal deal offering, signalling strong confidence in the product’s appeal and performance.
In the UK, only 16% of plastic that enters the recycling system ever gets a second life. In contrast, aluminium is one of the most recycled materials available, with 76% of all aluminium ever produced still in the material loop today. These figures are central to GUNNA’s campaign for reducing plastic consumption, focusing on aluminium as an eco-friendly and endlessly recyclable solution and taking meaningful strides to support retailers and their customers in this mission.
Melvin Jay, founder of GUNNA Drinks, said: “We’re thrilled with the performance of our aluminium bottles in Midcounties Co-op stores. This success proves what we’ve long believed based on consumer research — that shoppers are keen to make sustainable switches when a brand makes it simple for them and also delivers on taste and healthiness. The 1.8-fold increase in the rate of sale that we’ve seen compared to our cans clearly indicates that consumers are actively seeking easy-to-make eco-friendly swaps for plastic bottles.”
He continued: “Midcounties Co-op is truly leading the way yet again. They are the first UK retailer to list our aluminium bottles, showcasing their commitment to sustainability. The UK’s plastic recycling statistics are alarming – only 44% of our plastic waste is collected for recycling, and of that, a mere 16% actually gets recycled into something new. The other 84% is incinerated, releasing CO2, or goes to landfill or is dumped into the environment. Let’s not kid ourselves; for many reasons, it’s impossible to fix the plastic waste problem with recycling alone. The solution has to be for our industry to show leadership by offering consumers more eco-friendly packaging options.
“We’re proud to partner with forward-thinking retailers like Midcounties Co-op, who are helping shoppers easily switch from single-use plastic to infinitely recyclable aluminium. Together, we’re working to make planet-friendly drinks the new normal.”
GUNNA’s aluminium bottled lemonades are not only sustainable but also offer added health benefits, containing 100% of the daily intake of vitamin C and zinc. Both Turtle Juice and Pink Punk lemonades (RRP £1.99) are made with real fruit, contain just 66 calories, are vegan-friendly, and are free from artificial colours, flavours, and preservatives.
The brand’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond packaging. GUNNA Drinks is carbon negative, offsetting 2g of carbon for every 1g created in production. The company also invests in The Clean Oceans Project, removing tonnes of plastic waste from the world’s beaches.
