A high-end drinks company has turned to innovative packaging to fight the war on sugar, with the help of one of the UK’s most experienced glass bottle manufacturers.

Kolibri Drinks asked Beatson Clark, the Yorkshire-based glass packaging specialists, to design and manufacture a bottle which allows consumers to control the amount of sugar in their drink.

The sugar is stored in the cap of the bottle rather than in the liquid of the drink. The idea behind the unique design is to allow the consumer to customise the amount of sugar and flavour in their drink, to suit their own taste and preference.

Beatson Clark’s in-house design team worked with Kolibri Drinks from the early concept stage through to manufacture. The brief was to create an elegant bottle which would appeal to the premium retail and restaurant market.

The bottle itself, designed and produced at Beatson Clark’s glassworks in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, is a cone-shaped 300ml white flint flask made from 30% recycled glass on average.

All the sugar has been removed from the botanical drink in the bottle and is stored instead in an elegant cap, so for the first time consumers can decide how much sweetness – if any – they wish to add to their drink.

The co-founder of Kolibri Drinks, Kamila Sitwell, said: “At a time when consumers are incredibly discerning and expect premium experiences in all aspects of branding, standard off-the-shelf bottles wouldn’t work for Kolibri Drinks.

“Beatson Clark worked with us from the very beginning, all the way through consumer and industry testing and the complex incorporation process with the patented cap which enables customisation of sweetness.

“I don’t think many companies are able or willing to go the extra mile to go through a complex and time-consuming process to deliver something truly disruptive.”

Charlotte Taylor, Beatson Clark’s Marketing Manager, said: “We’re finding more and more companies, particularly small businesses with big ideas, approaching us for unique bottle designs. The drinks business is a multi-billion pound industry, and competition is fierce, so they’re all looking for something to make their product stand out on the shelf.

Rather than being bound by what we can’t do, we take a can-do attitude. This type of bottle is the first of its kind we’ve produced and the finished product looks great. The quality of the glass matches the level of innovative design.”

Flavours in the Kolibri range include: Elderflower & Lime, Strawberry & Basil and Cardamom & Chilli. It’s currently available for purchase in Gaucho Restaurants, M Restaurants and Champneys Hotels.

Kolibri means hummingbird in 30 different languages and is seen as a symbol of joy and freedom around the world.