Ep 22 - This rounds on us! Sharing key trends from Drinktec 2022

Welcome to F&B Sounds Bites, a podcast on hot topics, trends and challenges for professionals in the engine room behind the Food and Beverage industry hosted by Hamish McCook. 

We flew a couple of our engineers to Munich in September 2022 to attend one of the biggest beverage conferences, and no we’re not talking about Oktoberfest (much to their dismay), but just as exciting – Drinktec! 

Known as the F&B Olympics, the five-day conference hosts state-of-the-art technology and knowledge sharing, with some of the world’s leading manufacturers and industrial key players to address the ever-changing consumers’ needs. 

With a jam-packed itinerary, Mark and Andrew had the privilege to discover and learn about the latest tech and innovation that sees beverages travelling from the plant to the mouths of consumers, in the most efficient, cost-effective and sustainable way. 

Try to ignore host Hamish McCook’s hint of envy as he chats to Australia’s Mark Robertson, Senior Associate in Mechanical Engineering and NZ’s Andrew Russell, Senior Associate in Project Management to unpack some of the key themes, trends and takeaways, covering packaging solutions, energy reduction, technology integration and of course, sustainability. 

Mark discusses the advancement in product packaging to provide a greater level of environmental transparency.  “Beer cans are progressing to include a carbon footprint that details the manufacturer’s CO2 emissions on the product, positioned along with the ingredients that allow consumers to make a sustainable decision”. 

Mark and Andrew were also impressed with the work we’re doing for our clients in the Asia Pacific - making incredible, real.  

"It’s important we keep a finger on the pulse of the FMCG world. Attending the conference has validated the decisions we’re making for our clients and has helped pushed us further to explore other avenues in other projects we’re doing because we’re seeing the benefits across the world.”

Stay tuned until the end as Mark and Andrew let us in on a few golden nuggets, including just who you should be keeping your eye on in the market. 

Episode time stamps: 

55 sec - Meet our guests Mark Robertson and Andrew Russell 

2:25 min - Why we attended Drinktec 

4:05 min - Key themes and learnings 

·         Advancements in packaging 

·         Plastic replacement 

·         Focus on sustainability – reducing CO2 emissions, focus on scope two and three reporting. 

·         Digital integration - Internet of Things (IoT)  

·         High-temperature heat pumps 

·         Precision fermentation 

·         Dealcoholisation 

18 min - How we’re converting these learnings into our projects

19:45 min - Key takeaways “golden nuggets”