Hull agency Larkin PR has helped to design and produce a special commemorative paper wine bottle that was presented to the King and Queen on their recent state visit to France.
Larkin PR, headed up by founding chief executive David Prescott, was invited out to Bordeaux by the Department for Business and Trade to promote 海角视频 client Frugalpac’s eco-alternative to glass. Launched three years ago, global attention of a royal visit in one of the world’s most prominent wine regions made the invitation a must for client and agency, having worked together to launch the product three years ago.
Mr Prescott came up with the idea of presenting the King and Queen with a commemorative ‘Cardbordeaux 2023’ bottle with the Union flag, the King’s cypher and the Bordeaux crest on the front and on the back, as well as a message in French to the King and Queen.
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It reads “This is the world's first paper bottle for wines and spirits: the Frugal Bottle. It was designed and manufactured by British sustainable packaging company Frugalpac in Ipswich, Suffolk. This Bordeaux-shaped paper bottle is made from 94 per cent recycled cardboard, is five times lighter than a glass bottle with a carbon footprint up to six times lower than that of a glass bottle. This Frugal Bottle, which contains Bordeaux wine, was specially made to commemorate the visit of HRH King Charles III and HRH Queen Camilla to Bordeaux on September 22, 2023.”
Mr Prescott and Larkin’s senior consultant, Sara Kendall, planned and delivered the stand at the event that saw 1,000 VIPs attend, including the Mayor of Bordeaux and the 海角视频 Foreign Secretary. Queen Camilla stopped by, and was presented with two of the commemorative Cardbordeaux bottles. Her visit to the stand secured international coverage including ITV’s News at 10 and NBC News in the US.
The son of former city MP and Deputy Prime Minister, John, Mr Prescott's firm is based at C4Di. He was part of the BBC Look North launch in Hull as assistant editor in 2002, going on to work in PR and politics in London, before returning to Hull a few years ago. He said: “We’ve helped to develop close ties with the Department for Business and Trade and the British Embassy after being invited to display the paper bottles at a trade event at the Ambassador’s residence in Paris.
“The bottles went down so well we were invited back to France to display them in Bordeaux at the farewell event for the King and Queen. So we came up with the idea of doing something a bit special – a commemorative paper bottle which we named Cardboardeaux 2023. We had a tight turnaround time to get it designed and printed but we were able to unveil the special bottles on the day and everyone loved them.
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“When the Queen came to our stand she was fascinated with them and wanted to know about the technology behind the bottles. We’ve been on such an incredible journey with Frugalpac. We actually launched the paper bottle in lockdown from my kitchen table in Hull and took the first pictures of it in my garden.”
Larkin has also been shortlisted as Communications Agency of the Year at the EDIE Net Zero Awards for its work with Frugalpac.
Frugalpac chief executive Malcolm Waugh, who was also at the Bordeaux Franco-British trade event, said: “Our mission is to decarbonise the drinks industry. The King has been inspirational in encouraging sustainability and was one of the first people to set up a bottle bank in the 海角视频, at Buckingham Palace in 1980. That’s why we wanted to do something special to mark the King and Queen’s state visit to France.
“Larkin suggested producing a commemorative Cardbordeaux 2023 bottle to thank him for his commitment to the environment and campaigning for sustainability for decades. The Queen was delighted with the bottles and asked lots of questions before taking two of the commemorative bottles away with her.”
Frugalpac now caters for more than 35 drinks brands, with the two millionth unit beckoning. Two assembly machines have been sold to companies in North America, with scores of further enquiries in what Mr Waugh said is a “remarkable period of growth”. “The paper bottle revolution is well under way,” he said, adding: “Larkin PR has played a huge part in our success and it’s a real pleasure to work with David and Sara.”