Global Package’s Strategic Response to U.S. Tariff Volatility

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The U.S. tariff environment remains unpredictable, with repercussions that stretch well beyond its borders. More recently, Section 232 duties on steel and aluminum were doubled to 50 percent on June 4, 2025, adding another layer of complexity to global trade. While these tariffs primarily affect industries reliant on steel and aluminum, they highlight just how volatile the economic landscape can be: a reality that resonates deeply within the glass industry.

Although the UK negotiated a temporary carve-out for steel and aluminum (maintaining rates at 25 percent until around July 9), most other trade partners are experiencing the full weight of these changes. For the glass industry, which relies heavily on stable supply chains and predictable costs, such shifts serve as a stark reminder of the risks posed by an unstable economic climate.

For background on earlier tariff impacts on glass from March 2025, including implications for our glass bottle pricing, see our report on the impact of the U.S. tariffs on the glass industry.

While the direction of trade policy is becoming clearer, its effects unfold gradually. Tariffs often have a delayed impact, disrupting supply chains over time. Pricing shocks, delivery delays, and downstream bottlenecks are all too common. Failing to acknowledge these early warning signs is risky, especially for industries like glass manufacturing, where even small disruptions can ripple through production schedules and customer relationships.

Temporary enforcement relief announced on May 12, 2025, gave some importers brief respite. However, this delay offered no meaningful resolution. It simply postponed the inevitable and left many businesses exposed to the next sudden rate change.

In this climate, importers need more than resilience. They need visibility. That’s where Global Package steps in.

Why Transparency Is Non-Negotiable

For producers in the wine and spirits sector, clarity in landed costs is essential. With tight production timelines, seasonal bottling windows, and slim margins, even minor surprises in pricing can trigger major operational challenges.

At Global Package, we have started to list the full scope of tariffs separately on every invoice. This is not just an accounting detail. It is a deliberate approach to give our customers full visibility into what they are being charged and why. Tariff rates have the potential to change often, sometimes from one shipment to the next. By clearly identifying these costs, we ensure our customers know the real item cost and the external costs once tariffs are finally decided.

This level of transparency also invites deeper understanding. We believe customers should be empowered to ask questions. Why is this rate increasing? What policy is driving the change? Is it temporary, or part of a larger shift in economic strategy? With itemized tariff information, our clients can view these charges in context and respond with confidence.

Our pricing system is built on three core principles: consistency, predictability, and accountability. This framework allows customers to plan ahead, minimize disruption, and maintain trust across their supply chains.

American Tariffs on Glass

What Global Package Does to Keep You Informed and Prepared

We identify the specific tariff rate applied to each shipment and show the dollar impact clearly, so there is no ambiguity about where the cost comes from.

Ongoing rate monitoring

Our team tracks trade policy updates daily. This ensures your charges reflect the most current regulations, whether they increase or decrease.

Integrated communication

Each shipment includes a short summary of applicable tariffs and a clear explanation of why they apply. If rates differ from previous orders, we highlight the change up front.

Proactive notice on changes

When we learn about upcoming rate increases or enforcement pauses, we let you know immediately. The delay announced in May, for example, gave some clients a chance to accelerate deliveries before costs rose again.

This system gives our clients the ability to manage international sourcing with greater certainty. You can defend every price point, protect your margins, and forecast more effectively.

US Tarrifs

How This Helps You Plan, Protect, and Perform

For wineries and distillers, transparency in supply chain costs helps safeguard production stability. Unexpected charges on packaging do more than affect your bottom line. They can disrupt bottling schedules, delay distribution, and impact your ability to meet domestic or export targets.

Our approach provides tangible benefits:

Budget accurately

When tariff costs are known in advance, financial forecasting becomes more reliable. This is especially important for vintage releases planned months ahead.

Improve price integrity

Retail pricing, export documentation, and margin targets all depend on a clear understanding of unit costs. Cost visibility protects your positioning in the market.

Adapt procurement timing

If rate increases are on the horizon or temporary relief is available, we help clients decide when to ship or hold. This flexibility can significantly reduce landed costs over time.

Strengthen internal reporting

Itemized tariffs make it easier to explain cost changes internally. Finance, procurement, and executive teams stay aligned with less friction.

Mitigate risk with confidence

International trade remains complex. We monitor the landscape so you can stay focused on what matters: your product, your supply chain, and your customers.

In today’s shifting trade environment, transparency is not a bonus. It is a foundation. And for our clients in the wine and spirits industry, it is one more way we work to protect the quality of your product and the reliability of your glass supply.

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Tariffs remain a shifting element of global trade policy, but uncertainty doesn’t have to mean instability. At Global Package, we stay ahead of regulatory changes to keep our customers informed, supported, and equipped to make confident decisions.

For any questions or to speak with our team, contact info@globalpackage.net.

Global Package’s Sue Keechler to Speak at Napa Thrives Events

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Erica Harrop, President and CEO of Global Package LLC, announced that Sales Account Manager, Sue Keechler, will be a guest speaker at the Napa Thrives Climate Action Six-Event Series being held June 7th through 23rd at the Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena CA. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/napa-thrives-climate-action-events-186579. Topics for the Series include: Saving Water & Water Efficiency, Saving Energy & Energy Efficiency, Preventing Waste & Green Purchasing, Integrated Pest Management & Prevention, and Social Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. There will be an Acceleration Gala on Saturday, July 30, at 6pm.

A strong believer in implementing sustainable practices in the industry, Harrop is a member of Napa Green and has led efforts in sustainable packaging. Keechler’s presentation topic will be “Lighten up and Ship Green” at the Preventing Waste & Green Purchasing event on Tuesday, June 14, 8:00am. In her presentation Keechler will discuss her work with suppliers of domestically made glass and competitively-priced lighter weight bottles in a wide range of styles, shapes, colors, and price points.

She will also discuss her work with Estal, Global Package’s Spanish supply partner, which is a leader in innovative bottle design and sustainable wine glass production. She’ll walk through Estal’s Wild Glass line of 100% sustainable “real cycled” glass bottles, which she helped introduce to the North American market. Wild Glass uses 100% recycled glass and its production method reduces energy use and CO2 emissions. It also results in fewer discards (from 25% to 10%), since the cosmetic (aesthetic) defects are accepted as part of the organic beauty of the glass, giving the bottles the look of handmade works of art.

Additionally, Keechler will discuss Global Package’s Elegant Light™ line of bottles, which are lighter weight bottles that result in more economical and ecological shipping.

            The Napa Thrives mission states: “The climate crisis is no longer imminent. It is here. Fires, drought, heat spikes will continue to strike our industry. Coming together as sustainable winegrowing leaders is no longer optional, it is imperative.” Harrop applauds Napa Thrives in its efforts to accelerate sustainability in the industry.

Global Package, located in the Napa Valley, is experienced in supplying high-end wine and spirits glass bottles to North American markets. With a comprehensive off-the-shelf portfolio, and the opportunity for customization and decoration, Global Package can assist your brand with the most appropriate solution whatever your budget or expectations. From glass bottles, bottle decorations, pewter labels, to bar top closures and corks, Global Package can assist with your project. Start your packaging journey today by calling +1 707 224-567 or emailing info@globalpackage.net.

Global Package’s Wild Glass Answers Sustainability and Landfill Issues

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Study after study has proved that consumers prefer glass over other packaging materials for several reasons: Because it is aesthetically pleasing, is virtually inert and doesn’t interact with the food or beverage it holds, and because it is recyclable.

Global Package has a long tradition of promoting glass in the wine and spirits industries for these very reasons. Our latest collection of Wild Glass, produced by Estal Packaging, is 100% sustainable “real cycled” and boasts a production process that is both efficient and ecologically sustainable. It utilizes only post-consumer recycled glass collected from municipalities and its production method uses lowerfuel consumption, resulting in a reduction of CO2 as well as less extraction of virgin material.

Importantly, glass addresses the sustainability issue that today’s consumers are demanding. According to a 2019 article in Chemical & Engineering News:

“Glass can be recycled endlessly by crushing, blending, and melting it together with sand and other starting materials. Doing so benefits manufacturers, the environment, and consumers. Yet each year only one-third of the roughly 10 million metric tons of glass that Americans throw away is recycled. The rest ends up in landfills. In contrast, some European countries recycle more that 90% of their glass. US glass trade groups (such as Owens-Illinois) are working to boost these numbers.”  

In addition, a recent report by Owens-Illinois reveals that waste management companies in North America and around the world are running out of landfill space, a growing problem now that China is no longer accepting our trash. In a recent article in American Recycler entitled “Landfill Space Continues to Decline” author Maura Keller reports that “the future of landfills looks bleak” and estimates that we have less than two decades before landfills in the US reach capacity, with single-use plastics in the form of beverage containers, take out containers, shampoo bottles, detergent bottles and similar items contributing the lion’s share.

As landfills grow in short supply, glass packaging becomes an increasingly vital component to reaching America’s aggressive sustainable goals. Here’s more from American Recycler:

“Haulers and others will be disincentivized to put obvious recyclables like glass in landfills, and we’ll see a broader harmonizing of our waste management and recycling policies to further disincentivize putting recyclables in landfills …At the same time, glass-only curbside collection and/or alternate collection systems will become the predominant collection method boosting glass collection in the U.S. to 50 percent by 2030.”

In other words, waste management companies will increasingly force consumers to recycle their glass containers, not toss them into landfill collection bins, so the sustainable value of glass grows exponentially. Global Package’s line of Wild Glass is the most sustainable glass on the market. Additionally, each of thesebottles is truly unique since the production process allows for slight imperfections in the natural formation of the glass to remain, making each bottle an aesthetic one-of-a-kind work of art. As important, the manufacturing process retains all the benefits of automation. Tests run by Estal, our glass partners in Europe, have shown a significant reduction in the discard rate since the process doesn’t discard bottles with these slight cosmetic imperfections. It’s a win-win …100% sustainability and gorgeous quality design.

As Global Package continues to work with leaders in the glass industry to find solutions to the landfill and recycling concerns, we are proud to offer the full line of Wild Glass, which is now inventoried here in California. Global Package (www.globalpackage.net) is located at 2793 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa, CA 94558 and can be reached at 707-224-5670.

Globalization Affects Us All by Erica Harrop, CEO Global Package

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Next week we will be exhibiting in Booth #941 at this year’s Unified Show, January 25-27 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento. But as we prepare for the show, I’d like to share some thoughts.

It’s clear that supply chain challenges are still with us, casting a renewed spotlight on globalization and its impact on each one of us in the wine and spirits industry. It’s a big topic that most in the industry have spent little time thinking about, at least prior to the pandemic. But the realities of globalization have been Global Package’s continual focus since our founding, pushing us to continuously find the best partners with the best packaging and logistics solutions to advance our industry segments with enhanced creativity and innovation.

I recently reviewed a December 7, 2015 article in the Advertising Age Journal entitled “How to Manage Marketing When ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’ Isn’t Enough.” In the article the author discusses global business marketing and defines globalization as “coherence, reliability, and certainty, while addressing universal truths.” This prompted me to reflect on how worldwide sourcing has changed our prior perceptions and understandings.

All of us at Global Package believe that finding good partners and developing relationships is what globalization is all about; it is the crux of the concept. Whether your business is working with a supplier around the corner or across the seas, having that ‘coherence, reliability, and certainty’ is essential to a successful relationship.

Unfortunately, over the past two years the pandemic has strained many supplier-partner relationships. However, Global Package’s solid relationships with domestic and overseas partners have enabled us to keep our focus on reliability and creativity at the same time. While supply chain challenges continue, we are always receiving excellent up-to-date information from our partners here and abroad, enabling us to expeditiously fulfill our clients’ expectations and orders.

So we invite you to visit our Booth #941 at Unified. On display, you’ll find an impressive array of lightweight and beautifully shaped specialty bottles, as well as our sustainable Wild Glass™ bottles and our anti-drip Sommelier Mouth (SM) line.

Our entire sales staff, on both East and West coasts, will be on hand to help and to answer any questions you may have.

Global Package, located in the Napa Valley, is experienced in supplying high-end wine and spirits glass bottles to North American markets. With a comprehensive off-the-shelf portfolio, and the opportunity for customization and decoration, Global Package can assist your brand with the most appropriate solution whatever your budget or expectations. From glass bottles, bottle decorations, pewter labels, to bar top closures and corks, Global Package can assist with your project. Start your packaging journey today by calling +1 707 224-567 or emailing info@globalpackage.net.

Good News About Bad Actors by Erica Harrop, CEO Global Package

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After reading a recent piece in the trade newsletter, www.retailleader.com , I was encouraged to learn that the DOJ’s Antitrust Division and the FBI have launched an initiative to “deter, detect, and prosecute those who would exploit the supply chain disruptions.” This has led to the “formation of a working group with global partners, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Canadian Competition Bureau, the New Zealand Commerce Commission and the United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority.”

It’s appalling that there are companies and individuals who are taking advantage of the supply chain situation created post-Covid, and are lining their own pockets by fixing prices and overcharging customers. But it is good news that the government will track down and prosecute these bad actors. However, we are still bedeviled by stalled ships and late shipments, ratcheting up a future of higher prices for everything.

A recent review of my daily shipping logs confirms this. Particularly interesting in a recent log is the Drifting vs Anchor vs Arrived ships. Dates for ETAs are surreal as they are past due, and delays are 30 to 45 days beyond scheduled arrival date. The Drifting category is why none of us know what to expect. Unfortunately, I believe these Issues are likely to last a long while, probably up to the end of the year.

International experts expect similar long-lasting supply chain bottlenecks. While the German publication Wein.plus Wine Magazine recently assessed the 2022 outlook for the international wine industry as positive, they said it with this important caveat: “…cost increases and supply chain disruptions are perceived as a threat.” ((https://magazine.wein.plus/news/). Now, of course, we have the Russia-Ukraine conflict added to the threats.

On another front, industry analysts say that climate change and stricter environmental regulations are concerning producers even more than trade issues, believing they will have a much longer and more profound impact on the health of the industry.
So what to do? Since the beginning of the pandemic—even long before—we at Global Package initiated and solidified partnerships, both domestic and international, to ensure our manufacturers and suppliers are allied in a supportive, strong, sustainable, and close-knit network of resources for us.

A primary example of these strong relationships is Estal, a glass customization specialist, with which we have worked for years and which has consistently led with innovative designs and production practices. Pre-pandemic, Estal introduced its beautiful and ecological Wild Glass™ line of bottles to an enthusiastic US and international market. These bottles are 100% sustainable “real cycled” glass bottles that are one-of-a-kind, since slight imperfections in the natural formation of the glass are allowed to remain, while retaining all the manufacturing positives of automated glass, much like organic handmade art. Estal’s process also doesn’t discard bottles with cosmetic defects, which reduces the discard rate from 25% to 15%.

Global Package also offers Estal’s Sommelier Mouth (SM) bottles, which feature an anti-drip barrier and groove guides to facilitate a clean, straight cut of the capsule. The line includes the Essentia Burgundy, Bordeaux, and fluted Espiga bottles. All are available in Flint, Wild Glass, and Antique options.

And further addressing environmental concerns, Global Package has in stock the full line of Elegant Light™ bottles, lighter weight bottles that result in more economical and ecological shipping, and which come in the full range of classical shapes and colors.
Yes, these are trying times. But working with a trusted and competent supplier will help relieve the stress of uncertainty. We invite you to learn more about all that Global Package has to offer.

Global Package, located in the Napa Valley, is experienced in supplying high-end wine and spirits glass bottles to North American markets. With a comprehensive off-the-shelf portfolio, and the opportunity for customization and decoration, Global Package can assist your brand with the most appropriate solution whatever your budget or expectations. From glass bottles, bottle decorations, pewter labels, to bar top closures and corks, Global Package can assist with your project. Start your packaging journey today by calling +1 707 224-567 or emailing info@globalpackage.net.

Hats Off to NapaGreen for its Recent Sustainability Conference by Erica Harrop

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I was a guest speaker at NapaGreen’s Conference last week, presenting at the workshop “All Things Bottle Sustainability.” The conference featured several workshops on sustainability, with the last in the series this upcoming Friday, April 29th on “All Things Soil Sustainability.” I was proud to participate in the series and to support this important organization (www.napagreen.org), which focuses on building a more sustainable wine industry.

As I’ve written about before, our industry’s continued success will depend on our ability to combat climate change by reducing our impact on the environment, including developing and utilizing better farming, production and, yes, packaging practices. My workshop focused on achievable ways we can manufacture and package wine bottles while reducing our carbon footprint and, at the same time, continuing to innovate quality and design.

My company, Global Package LLC, has a long history of working with glass manufacturing partners around the world who have led efforts in sustainability. Therefore, my presentation focused on several ecological factors that impact the glass wine bottle. Glass weight, of course, is a top consideration when it comes to shipping, storing, and displaying wine bottles. I offered the example of our Elegant Light™ bottles, which are made with less glass and, thus, are lighter weight, resulting in considerable savings in transportation costs. In fact they are up to 20% less expensive to ship than standard bottles.

In addition, we’ve found that it’s 10 times more efficient to transport product via water than by overland trucking and 17 times more efficient than by airfreight.

Also, recent developments in the effort to decrease greenhouse gas emissions have led the Europeans and Chinese to tighten environmental controls, passing laws over the past several years to reduce sulfur in fuel. In total, according to a recent LCA- Life Cycle Assessment, there is small energy impact from the transport of glass packaging.

On the manufacturing front, it takes 1.8 tons of raw material to produce one ton of glass. Cullet, which is recycled glass, can be added in varying amounts to decrease these raw materials. Recycled cullet is critical to reduce raw material use, pollutants, and even transportation costs.

Several years ago Global Package introduced to the US market Wild Glass™, an innovative line of bottles from Spain’s Estal. These bottles are not only works of art, they are comprised of almost 100% cullet recycled glass, thus making them the most sustainable bottles on the market.

Every Wild Glass™ bottle is unique, since the manufacturing process allows bubbles, orange peel, coloring line imperfections and color variations to remain. The resulting aesthetic is an organic design similar to hand blown glass, but with all the efficiencies of automatic glass production. Because these cosmetic imperfections are not only acceptable, but also desirable, fewer bottles are rejected, reducing from 25% to 15% the discard rate at the factory.

The sustainability factor is also impressive because 100% of Wild Glass™ is made from PCR (Post Consumer Recycling) material, which comes from recycling centers. Therefore, its fusion of recycled glass production uses less energy. The PCR content means less extraction of virgin raw materials in production.

All of us at Global Package are grateful to Napa Green’s leadership in promoting and developing sustainable practices in our industry. We’d like to help promote their upcoming “Napa THRIVES” six-event series June 7 – 23. Here’s a link to the series: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/june-7-23-napa-thrives-six-event-series-tickets-289015863227

           Let’s all continue to support this essential organization!

Global Package, located in the Napa Valley, is experienced in supplying high-end wine and spirits glass bottles to North American markets. With a comprehensive off-the-shelf portfolio, and the opportunity for customization and decoration, Global Package can assist your brand with the most appropriate solution whatever your budget or expectations. From glass bottles, bottle decorations, pewter labels, to bar top closures and corks, Global Package can assist with your project. Start your packaging journey today by calling +1 707 224-567 or emailing info@globalpackage.net.

How Tariffs & Supply Chain Volatility Impact Glass Bottles (and How Smart Brands Adapt)

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Trade policy shifts, retaliatory tariffs, and ocean freight volatility are becoming harder to ignore. They are the new standard operating conditions for the US wine and spirits industry. Recent cross-border trade friction, such as the escalating US-Canada tariff dispute threatening glass packaging supply chains, highlights just how fragile a rigid sourcing model can be. But beyond high-level trade economics, these disruptions hit producers on a deeply practical level: when glass bottles don’t arrive on time, product release schedules slip, inventory stalls in tanks, and tight margins shrink under the weight of unexpected storage and rush fees. When your wine or spirit is ready to bottle but packaging isn’t there, operations ground to a costly halt.

We’ve tackled the challenges of tariffs before, and the reality is tariffs and supply chain friction don’t have to kill your margins or stall your filling lines. While reactive brands absorb sudden cost spikes or face crippling stockouts, our team works side-by-side with producers, leveraging hands-on problem-solving and extensive global factory relationships to turn beverage packaging strategy into an agile, risk-mitigated operational advantage.

The Pillars of Tariff-Resilient Packaging Strategy:

  1. Multi-Regional Sourcing: Shifting production across global networks to avoid tariff-heavy trade corridors.
  2. Domestic Inventory Buffers: Drawing from pre-staged stock in regional US warehouses to protect critical bottling schedules.
  3. Cost-Offset Engineering: Utilizing value-engineered, lighter glass for high end shapes to trim shipping weight and offset tariff hikes.

 

How Global Package Keeps Your
Bottles Moving

Global Package’s leader brings over four decades of technical expertise and trade experience to the US wine and spirits industries. Founded by CEO Erica Harrop, Global Package is a high-level strategic glass packaging partner and consultative advisor. Going beyond supplying stock bottles, our team evaluates origin, freight, glass weight, existing international molds, domestic inventory, and bottling timing to deliver a top-to-bottom glass packaging strategy for US beverage producers navigating market volatility.

  • Global Sourcing Infrastructure: Direct access to glass manufacturers across Europe, Asia, and North America allows brands to maintain flexible supply chains and adapt sourcing origins as trade conditions change.
  • Strategic Domestic Warehousing: Maintaining pre-staged floor stock in key regional hubs across the country makes prompt delivery far more likely than ordering from overseas and helps protect production schedules from port backlogs.
  • Comprehensive Bottle Portfolio: From boutique custom bottle molds to eco-friendly options like Wild Glass and lightweight European silhouettes, Global Package delivers packaging that balances visual distinction with supply chain efficiency.

 

The Big Picture: How Trade Volatility Hits
US Beverage Brands

Specialty imports and custom bottle molds remain vital drivers of brand differentiation and premium positioning for wine and spirit brands. However, relying on single-source logistics without forward-looking oversight can expose operations to unexpected geopolitical and trade shifts. As we’ve detailed previously in our breakdown of the increased tariffs’ effect on the glass business, proactive planning is central to how Global Package manages supply networks and ensures glass continuity. Without early strategic alignment, sudden macroeconomic disruptions tend to impact operators in three critical ways:

  • Landed Cost Volatility: Unexpected duty adjustments and sudden ocean freight surcharges turn estimated bottle budgets into margin-compressing liabilities. What looks like a cheap FOB (Free on Board) factory price can easily become your most expensive asset once it clears customs.
  • Lead-Time Spikes & Bottling Downtime: Port delays, retaliatory duties, and cross-border friction disrupt critical release dates and bottling schedules. Simply put: you cannot afford to halt a production line because your custom wine and spirits glass packaging is trapped at a checkpoint. Through qualified supplier partnerships, we can guide you through every step of the process.
  • Single-Origin Without Foresight: Relying entirely on one foreign factory or a sole-source supply route can leave your brand exposed to sudden trade policy changes when not properly accounted for. If that specific trade corridor locks up, your supply chain goes down with it.

To stay ahead of these challenges, we strongly encourage early and ongoing communication with our clients to navigate specific bottling timelines, growth plans, and supply concerns. By engaging in open communication from the start, Global Package can anticipate potential bottlenecks, map out tailored sourcing options, and deliver flexible solutions before trade friction affects your release dates.

 

How Smart Brands Safeguard
Their Glass Supply

When trade policies shift, successful wine and spirits operators need to adapt. Industry leaders build supply chain flexibility directly into their procurement strategy to overcome port delays and margin hits. Here are the three primary ways our experienced team supports your brand by actively identifying alternatives and securing high-quality, affordable glass packaging.

1. Diversifying Through Multi-Regional Sourcing

While choosing a single-origin unique bottle mold offers distinct aesthetic and brand identity benefits, it also carries inherent supply chain risks. Global Package helps customers navigate these risks by anticipating realistic outcomes, an approach backed by the long-term trust and confidence we have cultivated in supplying the optimal product mix for high-profile needs. Drawing on over four decades of technical expertise and international supply chain management, the Global Package team offers direct access to trusted manufacturing hubs across Europe, Asia, and North America. Rather than acting as a simple stock supplier, our team serves as a consultative partner, using deep global factory relationships to seamlessly pivot production origins when trade friction or regional tariffs arise. This proactive, multi-regional approach provides more reliable access to high-quality custom wine bottles and spirits glass packaging regardless of shifting trade policies.

2. Buffering Risks with Local Stock & Regional Warehousing

International ocean shipping introduces severe delays during peak harvest and bottling windows. Backed by twenty years of operational experience in the US beverage market, Global Package provides a vital buffer against port backlogs and supply chain shocks through strategically located domestic stock. By holding pre-staged floor stock in key regional warehousing hubs across the United States, we enable wine and spirits producers to order directly from resting US inventory. Our team works closely with brands to align local stock holds with bottling timelines, safeguarding release schedules and ensuring smooth, predictable operations.

3. Offsetting Costs Through Value-Engineered Glass for Specialty Bottles

Sudden tariff hikes drive up the landed cost of goods. In our experience, we’ve seen brands recover margin losses by optimizing their bottle specifications. Keeping a high profile appearance while adopting lightweight glass bottles lowers both base material usage and freight costs, directly offsetting new tariff expenses. Global Package offers the Elegant Light Line, a specialized, premium European-styled collection designed to maintain distinct, high-end aesthetics while achieving significant weight savings, ensuring brands don’t want to resort to low-quality, commodity glass from large-scale distributors. Additionally, the sustainably produced Wild Glass line utilizes 100% post-consumer recycled materials, delivering a natural, organic design at very light weights that creates efficiencies throughout the supply chain.

Building a Resilient Packaging Strategy

While no standard operating strategy can predict every trade disruption or market shift, Global Package’s approach is rooted in CEO Erica Harrop’s core philosophy: adaptability through experience. Over four decades of navigating international glass supply chains, building deep global relationships with proven suppliers, and developing multi-regional sourcing options mean that when market conditions change, we anticipate realistic outcomes for our customers. Building this flexibility into your packaging strategy protects your margins, secures your release dates, and sees your products continue moving to retail shelves and tasting rooms without interruption.

Partnering with an experienced packaging specialist gives your brand the confidence needed to thrive despite market shifts. Contact the Global Package team today to evaluate your glass sourcing strategy and explore our complete inventory of wine and spirits packaging solutions. Make the first move and email us at sales@globalpackage.net, or call +1 707 224-5670.

In Their Own Words: Part One by Erica Harrop

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I’ve recently been receiving some wonderful feedback from designers with whom I’ve worked over many years, so I thought I’d share a few. Here’s one from Tony Auston, founder and creative director of Auston Design Group in Oakland, CA. Auston has designed labels and packaging for some of the region’s leading wine and spirits brands, including Dry Creek Vineyard, Gnarly Head, and Bogle Vineyards, among others.  He has worked with me for over 25 years and it has always been a pleasure to work with him.  He is exceptional at creative design and respects the input of the bottle maker, which is crucial to get a project moving forward and across the finish line. Here’s Tony in his own words:

  “Erica and I met in the early 1990s while I was working on the brand development and package design program for the former Carneros Alambic Distillery. She was t

he Brandy Maker at that time. Soon after that she made the decision to quit the production side and move to the supply side of the wine and spirits industry, starting in sales at Saver Glass. Many years later she founded Global Package.

            Erica and her team have been a valuable resource to me. As a designer, I have to consider all options available to me, so I rarely work with just one glass suppl

ier. While I sometimes may not use her glass that doesn’t mean we aren’t working together on a project. Her vast knowledge of the ins and outs of the industry is of great value to our process.

            We have spent the last few years working together to develop our proprietary custom bottle design for a new high-end vodka brand. Throughout the project, there were plenty of hurtles to clear in the engineering and production process. Erica and her team’s ability to guide us through those challenges was essential to getting a final package design that we and the client are very proud of.”

At Global Package we love working with designers who are creatively inspired, yet clear-eyed about production practicalities, and Tony is a perfect example. He is an exceptional designer and at the same time understands technical production aspects. During our most recent project together—a spirits bottle— we incorporated many elements of decoration and shape to achieve a stunningly unique package, which we’ll be able to feature when the brand launches at the end of the year!

Other similarly creative projects for the wine industry have employed many of the new glass developments Global Package has brought to the US, such as Estal’s Wild Glass ™, and the innovative Sommelier™ ring style bottle. The new Limerick Lane custom bottle is just one recent example of the sommelier ring.  We are proud of our work with outstanding designers like Tony Auston and enjoy the collaboration which brings real innovation to the wine and spirits industries!

Find part two here.

Global Package, located in the Napa Valley, is experienced in supplying high-end wine and spirits glass bottles to North American markets. With a comprehensive off-the-shelf portfolio, and the opportunity for customization and decoration, Global Package can assist your brand with the most appropriate solution whatever your budget or expectations. From glass bottles, bottle decorations, pewter labels, to bar top closures and corks, Global Package can assist with your project. Start your packaging journey today by calling +1 707 224-567 or emailing info@globalpackage.net.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Their Own Words: Part Two by Erica Harrop

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As I wrote in our last WIN newsletter entry, we’ve received many wonderfully affirming comments from designers with whom I, and my team at Global Package, have worked over the years. This time I’d like to feature Tina Carpenter, founder and principal of Carpenter Creative. Here are some of Tina’s thoughts, in her own words:

“I met Erica when I moved with my husband, who is a winemaker, from Chicago, Illinois to Napa over 20 years ago. She was working with Saver Glass at the time and I had just started with Colonna Farrell Design. While I was mostly responsible for timelines and logistics, I watched her unrelenting attention to detail at every step of the process.

“Since starting my own design studio, Carpenter Creative, in 2002, Erica and I have worked together on a dozen or so projects. One project, which is still underway, has been one of the most complex I’ve ever worked on, with elaborate decoration embellishments, as well as a custom glass mold.

“The client wanted to reimagine an old bottle he had discovered, so we worked with him to create a shape that echoed the old bottle, yet was emblazoned with his own brand identity. He also wanted to create a sense of discovery for his buyers, so we designed several nuanced treatments of a custom drip bead and a raised logo crest in the proprietary glass mold.

“Erica and her team always bring uncommon knowledge and indispensible resources to every project. Even for complex projects involving many types of embellishment and variations, she patiently and expertly helps to bring the final vision to fruition. I am indebted to her and her team.”

It’s such a pleasure to work with a designer like Tina! She epitomizes the unique blend of creativity and practicality that distinguishes the best in her field. And I am especially indebted to my suppliers who are so innovative and work with great care to accomplish the feats the designers envision. After Tina and the Global Package team submitted drawings of prospective bottle shapes, these wonderful suppliers provided physical samples for us to show the client. Now in the final stages of production, we all look forward to launching this exciting new brand into the marketplace. So stay tuned, there is more to come.

Find part one here.

Global Package, located in the Napa Valley, is experienced in supplying high-end wine and spirits glass bottles to North American markets. With a comprehensive off-the-shelf portfolio, and the opportunity for customization and decoration, Global Package can assist your brand with the most appropriate solution whatever your budget or expectations. From glass bottles, bottle decorations, pewter labels, to bar top closures and corks, Global Package can assist with your project. Start your packaging journey today by calling +1 707 224-567 or emailing info@globalpackage.net.

International Shipping Chaos Drives Bottle Supply into Tailspin

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Napa, CA  March 2, 2021 – Recent news about market uncertainties and European shipping and port chaos is a real issue for glass suppliers, many of whom are scrambling for product. Not Global Package LLC. Having planned well in advance, Global Package has fully stocked warehouses and is well prepared to fill orders.

“These shipping concerns have been simmering since November and now are impacting supplies around the world,” says Harrop. “But we have worked hard over the past pandemic year to bring classic and innovative European bottles and ecologically featured Chinese bottles into our warehouses to be prepared for this year’s bottling season.”

According to European industry reports, blank sailings, delays in departures, shortages of equipment, and lack of room on vessels are exacerbating timely deliveries. Even the more stable markets like North and South America have been affected, sources report.

“While glass from abroad may be more difficult to acquire going forward, we always plan ahead to procureenough product to meet upcoming seasonal needs,” Harrop assures. “Given our 35-year history and all the procurement channels we have established and are available to us, our warehouses are fully stocked with a broad range of bottles in every shape and color.”

Included in the stock offerings are Estal’s beautiful 100% recycled Wild Glass, the revolutionary Sommelier Mouth, and the podium-designed DobleAlto ®

bottles, as well as the new line of bottles specifically designed for Vinolok’s 100% recyclable and sustainably produced glass closure.  Harrop stresses:  “Our trained staff is standing ready to help you select the right bottle for your brand and budget. Call today!”