Petainer Partners with Saturnus: Bringing PET Packaging Solutions to Spirits Producers Across the Nordics and Beyond

Navigating the Nordic spirits market can feel daunting for producers unfamiliar with the region’s unique alcohol monopolies. For much of the 20th century, Sweden, Finland, and Norway maintained government-controlled production of all alcoholic spirits, as well as the retail infrastructure to sell them. While production monopolies ended in the late 1900s, each country still maintains a state-run retailer:

• Sweden: Systembolaget
• Norway: Vinmonopolet
• Finland: Alko

Meanwhile, Denmark operates under a more open-market model for alcohol sales.

Tender Processes in the Nordics

Each Nordic monopoly uses a tender system to select which products reach their shelves. In most cases, you will need final-format bottles (labeled, bottled, and ready for sale) during the application process. A tender must also include the type of wine or spirit, region, grape variety and alcohol percentage.

Below is a summary of their processes and timelines, typically lasting around 8 months from application to launch.

Sweden (Systembolaget)

• Tender Frequency: 4 times per year
• Timeline: Approximately 8 months from application to product launch

1. Submit tender application and required forms
2. Systembolaget requests a specific number of sample bottles
3. Tasting and analysis
4. Tender results announced

Finland (Alko)

• Tender Frequency: 3 times per year
• Timeline: Approximately 8 months from application to product launch

1. Submit tender application and required forms
2. Alko reviews offers and selects ~20 for tasting
3. Submit shelf-ready samples (bottled, capped, labelled)
4. Alko conducts tasting to choose the winner
5. Product launches 2–3 months after a successful tender

Norway (Vinmonopolet)

• Tender Frequency: 2 times per year
• Timeline: Approximately 8 months from application to product launch

1. Vinmonopolet consults with importers, producers, and sommeliers for next year’s tenders
2. Marketing plan released (in November and June) specifying categories for tender
3. Producers submit their selections
4. Vinmonopolet requests samples, conducts blind tastings, and selects a winner

Meeting Sustainability Demands

A key factor driving product selection is sustainability. Sweden, Norway, and Finland’s monopolies share a joint target to reduce the climate impact of their value chain by 50% by 2030 (against a 2019 benchmark). This includes emissions from cultivation, production, transportation—and especially packaging, which is a substantial contributor.

Recognizing that packaging is a major part of a product’s carbon footprint, the monopolies increasingly favor “climate smart” packaging options like PET. This shift can present a challenge if you’re used to glass-only bottling, but it also opens a strategic advantage if you can demonstrate lower emissions through PET.

The PET Advantage: Petainer’s Spirits Range

Petainer’s PET Plastic Spirit Bottles are designed to help producers meet sustainability demands without compromising on branding or quality. Our range covers three key sizes—350ml, 500ml, and 700ml—ideal for most spirit categories. Benefits include:

• Lightweight: A 350ml PET bottle weighs just 24g, compared to around 200g for its glass equivalent.
• Lower Manufacturing Emissions: Producing PET requires significantly lower heat and energy than melting and shaping glass.

The Nordic alcohol monopolies refer to PET as “Climate Smart Packaging” and increasingly favour PET-based products in their tenders, recognizing its potential to reduce overall carbon emissions.

Partnering with Saturnus: Expanding Your Reach

Even if you’re convinced PET is the way forward, adopting a new bottling format can require significant capital investment. This is where our new partnership with Saturnus comes in. A family-owned company based in Malmö and best known for its traditional glögg (mulled wine) and handcrafted spirits, Saturnus offers co-packing capabilities on a newly installed PET line.

Acceptance of wines and spirits in PET in the Nordics has always been high, both for the sustainability benefits but also for producers where PET can be more cost effective. Saturnus fill for our clients in bespoke or off the shelf bottle designs to give their products great shelf stand out and a premium look which is important in the spirits category.

By leveraging Saturnus’ new PET filling line, you can avoid the upfront expense of installing your own line—making it easier and faster to submit PET-based products in tenders for Systembolaget, Vinmonopolet, or Alko.

We see a future for PET as well as glass as formats for spirit products due to Systembolaget’s and the other Nordic monopolies work towards new packaging formats. We believe that glass and PET will complement each other as packaging formats. Both formats have different characteristics and benefits that consumers seek. Saturnus has recently invested in a new filling line which enables Saturnus to bottle spirit products in PET. This together with our filling lines for glass offers a good variety of packaging solutions for our customers.

About Saturnus

Saturnus is a fifth-generation, family-owned beverage company based in Malmö. Founded in 1893, Saturnus is Sweden’s oldest and largest producer of snaps, aquavit, and mulled wine. In addition to producing their own brands and co-packing for others, Saturnus also imports well-known international brands such as Evian, Aqua d’Or, and Britvic.

Ready to Expand Your Spirits Range in the Nordics?

With growing focus on sustainability—and a high acceptance of PET as a “Climate Smart Packaging” solution—now is an ideal time to explore PET bottling. Petainer and Saturnus stand ready to help you make the transition seamlessly, whether you aim to tender in Sweden, Finland, Norway, or beyond.

If you’d like more information on co-packing or filling services, or want to explore our PET bottle range, get in touch with Petainer or reach out to Saturnus. We look forward to helping you bring your spirits to Nordic shelves—sustainably and in style.