Smurfit Kappa produces 3 billionth Vitop tap

Smurfit Kappa has today reached a world record  by producing its 3 billionth Vitop Original® tap in its state-of-the-art, ultra-modern plant in Alessandria, Italy.

Invented around 25 years ago, the Vitop® tap has revolutionised wine consumption both within the Bag-in-Box® sector and the wider market, with its unique valve technology creating a new standard for Bag-in-Box® packaging solutions.

The tap has also proven popular among consumers and supports changing trends, by, for instance, allowing busy people to enjoy just one glass of wine at a time without the risk of damaging quality. Today, Vitop Original® is the leading Bag-in-Box® wine tap worldwide and is easily recognised by its special quality seal.

Contributing to the tap’s popularity is its ease of use – simply applying light pressure on one or both wings is enough to make liquid flow from the bag. This is in addition to the tap’s exceptional and consistent quality. Its “zero leak rate” - just 1 leak for every 45 million taps - is the source of envy of competitors. To achieve this, during production a 0.4 bar tightness test is applied to each tap and over 60 quality control points are checked regularly. Additional testing guarantees excellent oxygen barrier performance.

Frithjof Nicolaysen, former Quality Control Manager of Arcus, Norway’s leading supplier and producer of wines and spirits, and President of the European Federation of Wine and Spirits Importers and Distributors, said: “The Vitop tap has been a very important contributor to the high consumption of Bag-in-Box® products in Scandinavia. Arcus has been using this tap for Bag-in-Box® products for almost 20 years and it has always provided excellent performance. Our customers love it.”

“In our market, Bag-in-Box® has been viewed positively for the packaging of high quality products for a long time. Consumers of fine wine in bottles are happy to buy products in Bag-in-Box® packaging as well, and you can find many well-known appellations using this packaging solution. There is no doubt that Vitop has been a contributing factor to our wines being among the largest in our market. The valve is very consumer friendly and easy to use, while the seal is of excellent quality and ensures a long shelf life for boxed wines,” he said.