African conference for Horsforth business

A Horsforth-based manufacturing business, which is aiming to revolutionise the worldwide carbonated soft drinks industry, has just held its first major conference in South Africa.

CO₂Sustain, developers of a solution to help carbonated drinks keep their fizz for longer, has been demonstrating its technology to an audience of soft drink manufacturers from across sub-Saharan Africa who gathered for the conference in Johannesburg.

Drinks brands and manufacturers from Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa were shown how carbon dioxide loss in soft drinks can be exacerbated by various factors ranging from temperature, material and density of packaging, agitation and time.

The Horsforth company currently works with drinks brands and manufacturers across four continents and is active in around 50 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, as well as the United States, India and Pakistan. Exports are growing at 300 per cent annually and the business plans to move to new offices and create a new research and development centre by the end of this year.

Business manager Jonathan Stott said:

“Our first South Africa summit proved a resounding success attracting some of the world’s leading drinks brands that are keen to reduce the amount of CO2 lost from their products during the production process. We’re already developing some of the brand new relationships we’ve made and are looking forward to working in partnership with some exciting producers and brands.”

He added:

“The ongoing issue of rapid carbonation loss in drinks is a problem faced by manufacturers across the world but made significantly worse when producing and distributing in hot climates, where PET bottled drinks are in highest demand. Increased temperatures make the problem of carbon dioxide loss even harder to control.

“The manufacturers we are working with benefit from less waste, lower energy bills, increased product lifespan and improved profitability regardless of location and external influences.”