– Following strong growth in the third quarter of 2021, Iconic is aggressively investing in TopPop facility expansion initiatives, equipment and capacity to meet the growing demand for flexible packaging solutions in the beverage sector
– TopPop to add manufacturing and packaging lines beginning 2022; offers custom in-house formulation and blending for spirits, wine and malt and others
– Iconic expects to have the capacity to manufacture at least 150 million ice pops and cocktail drink products in 2022 as well as new single-serve solutions representing more than 3x the number of units produced in 2021 with its new facility expected to be in production in the first quarter of 2022
AMITYVILLE, NY, Dec. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via NewMediaWire — Iconic Brands, Inc. (OTCQB: ICNB) (“Iconic” or the “Company”), together with its wholly owned subsidiary TopPop LLC (“TopPop”), which establishes and supports brands, innovates, produces, licenses, packages and sells alcohol and non-alcohol beverages and creates sustainable packaging solutions for the consumable goods market, is providing an update on TopPop’s new 64,000 sq. ft. Pennsauken manufacturing facility expansion initiatives, which it first announced in August 2021.
Highlights of the manufacturing facility expansion:
● Expects to triple the Company’s 2021 ice pops and cocktail manufacturing capacity to over 150 million units in 2022.
● Plans for its newly increased capacity to include 150,000 flexible stand-up cocktail pouches per day, including thermo-formed shot cups and alcohol Jelly shots.
● Plans to add a custom plastic bottling line in the third quarter of 2022.
Iconic also recently received US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) approval to manufacture wine, malt and spirits and to do custom product blending in-house at its newest facility.
The new Pennsauken facility is expected to begin production early in the first quarter of 2022 and reach its full potential production capacity by the end of the quarter.
Commenting on the TopPop expansion initiatives underway, Iconic Chief Executive Officer, Larry Romer, said, “Our investment in the new TopPop facility, which we expect to result in increased capacity beginning in the first quarter of 2022, is ahead of schedule and we expect it to scale well throughout the year for a strong ROI. We just reported our strongest quarter in the Company’s history, and our customer base is taking notice and continues to grow, demonstrating increasing demand for TopPop’s innovation in product creation and efficient packaging solutions. We believe that TopPop is now well positioned to boost Iconic to record revenue growth in 2022.”
As part of the expansion, Iconic has invested approximately $4 million in facility improvements and manufacturing and packaging equipment. Almost half of this investment is for three state-of-the-art, high-speed liquid-filling machines that, using continuous motion, can produce approximately five million ice pops per week.
TopPop’s innovative, flexible packaging solutions in the beverage sector are in high demand and we believe they represent a trendsetting response to changing consumer attitudes about cans and bottles. Millennials and Gen Z consumers are more “on-the-go” and lightweight beverage solutions have great appeal for the mobile consumer. These consumers also gravitate toward solutions that are “Better-for-You” and “Better-For-The-Planet.” Flexible packaging is more sustainable than cans and bottles from a production standpoint because it uses fewer resources and generates less waste and emissions. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly accelerated the growth of e-commerce solutions. Flexible beverage packaging is lightweight, durable and more cost-effective, making it ideal for an improved direct-to-consumer solution.
In 2020, TopPop manufactured 10 million ice pops, growing nearly 5x annualized, to 36 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021. With the new Pennsauken facility coming online, and including its existing 30,000 square foot Marlton facility, TopPop will have sufficient capacity to meet the demands of existing and new customers while developing and launching its brands.
“As a 40-year veteran in the packaging industry, I am excited that our new additional facility gives us the ability to ramp up our production, increase efficiency and increase capacity and capabilities to deliver a multitude of solutions to an ever-growing customer base,” said Tom Martin, President & COO of TopPop. Mr. Martin added, “We believe that receiving approval to manufacture and do custom blending for wine, malt and spirits in-house in our second facility is a major milestone. This opens many new opportunities for our brands and those of our customers. We expect the custom plastic bottling line we plan to add in the second quarter of 2022 and the installation of six new rotary stand-up cocktail pouch lines in January 2022 to be two additional important milestones that increase our offerings flexibility.”
About Iconic
Iconic, together with its wholly owned subsidiary TopPop, establishes and supports brands, innovates, produces, licenses, packages and sells alcohol and non-alcohol beverages and creates sustainable packaging solutions for the consumable goods market. Iconic’s focus on lifestyle branding and the rising “Better-for-You”, “Better-for-the-Planet” consumer category has made it a leader in developing celebrity brands worldwide such as its Bellissima Prosecco by Christie Brinkley brand.
TopPop is a pioneer in flexible packaging. TopPop’s creative solutions from inception to full scale production, like its ready-to-freeze (RTF) alcohol ice pops make it a harbinger in the “pouch market”, which Iconic believes is one of the fastest growing segments in the beverage industry. TopPop’s proprietary applications have made it a leader in providing these products and services, from “design through delivery,” to some of the largest Fortune 500 and multinational alcohol beverage companies and brands today.
The Company is vertically integrated, with operations in multiple states, and sells and distributes products across the globe.
