Summary

Revino is creating a refillable glass bottle ecosystem for beverage producers and consumers enabling wineries and wine enthusiasts to sell and buy wine in a sustainable packaging option. Over 16 billion glass bottles and containers are used annually, but less than 30% are recycled. The average glass wine bottle takes 1.28 kg of CO₂ to produce and dispose of and is most often sourced internationally. The conventional option of Recycling isn’t great for bottles either: it takes significant amounts of energy to melt the glass down so it can be reshaped into a new product. (Source). To that end, Revino has created a “pooled packaging” approach featuring a standardized bottle that can be used by multiples wineries participating in the program. This approach to standardizing packaging drives down costs, simplifies collections, and provides equitable access to a cooperative system that keeps bottles in circulation — supporting the beverage industry’s drive toward lower emissions. (Source) Revino provides unique glass bottles that are delivered to wineries, and distributed in regular channels. Consumers consume wine in these bottles, and once empty, the company collects these Revino bottles through various collection points, washes, inspects and tests them before they can be used again. (Source)

Story

Co-founder Keenan O’Hern found his way into the winemaking business, but soon became frustrated with the linear supply chain and the fact that a resource heavy glass packaging solution was being treated like a single-use item. Being Dutch, he knew that such systems were common in Europe and didn’t see why that couldn’t be replicated in the United States. (Source) O’Hern joined forces with Co-founder Adam Rack, who grew up in Western Kansas, learning about perennial crops and agricultural sustainability. Rack also had experience in the wine industry, and together, the co-founders started materializing the idea behind the standardized refillable wine bottle that would become Revino. (Source)

Pic credit: Revino (top and right)