SIG has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Celema, an emerging player in the Colombian co-packing sector for beverages. Celema is the first company in Colombia to implement SIG's advanced aseptic carton filling technology. Production on the SIG Small 12 Aseptic is expected to start by the end of Q4 2024.

Currently, Colombia is one of the main consumer markets in South America, which is why SIG is expanding its operations in the region. Colombia is significant to Latin America's economy due to its strategic geographic location, acting as a gateway between Central and South America, and its strong trade relationships with both regional and global partners.

Founded over 65 years ago, Celema has built a long-standing reputation for producing high-quality dairy products in the region of Manizales, in the Caldas department. Now, the company has focused its business activities on co-packing in the B2B sector, along with its commercial brand 'Celema' for the B2C market.

SIG's flexible filling technology will allow Celema to offer its customers packaging solutions ideally suited to protect the product quality while at the same time offering various packaging volumes that can be filled on one and the same SIG filling machine with unmatched fast changeover times. This flexibility was a decisive factor in Celema's decision to choose SIG's technology, enabling beverage companies to meet different price points and consumer needs. Initially, Celema will focus on filling flavored milk drinks, plant-based beverages, where it is a key reference in Colombia, and juices in SIG SmallBloc 200mL carton packs.

"We are excited to partner with Celema and introduce our aseptic filling technology to Colombia", said Enrique Hargreaves, Head of Sales America-South at SIG. "This collaboration emphasizes our commitment to providing excellent and sustainable packaging solutions around the world. The flexibility and efficiency of our technology will help Celema to offer outstanding products in both the local and international markets."

Andres Orozco, General Manager at Celema, added: "We are thrilled to pioneer SIG's aseptic filling technology in Colombia. This investment highlights our dedication to quality and sustainability, and we aim to enhance our production capabilities to meet the diverse needs of our market in food, nutrition and wellness. SIG's flexibility will allow Celema to develop products and volumes that are currently not available in the Colombian market, incorporating differentiated and value-added products.”