Stoelzle protects premium spirits supply through disruption, earning the Diageo Global Supplier Award 2025
Premium spirits brands require more than just glass bottles. They rely on continuity: stable specifications, predictable deliveries and a partner who protects brand plans even when unexpected events disrupt production. Stoelzle’s key strength is its own multi-plant manufacturing network, which is designed to absorb shocks and ensure customer supply is maintained, reducing the need to qualify additional manufacturing footprints. That capability was demonstrated in July 2025, when a significant fire at Stoelzle Flaconnage, their UK production site in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, resulted in substantial damage to the furnace and critical equipment. All employees were safely evacuated and there were no serious injuries.
The UK site then faced months of full production downtime, exactly the kind of disruption that typically threatens availability, launches and on-shelf presence. In response, the Stoelzle team activated its Business Continuity Plan with immediate effect. Production volumes were transferred to their backup facilities in Poland, Austria and France, ensuring uninterrupted customer supply while the UK site was out of action. UK specialists were instrumental in facilitating start-up and on-the-job training at the backup sites, ensuring the maintenance of consistent specifications, decoration interfaces and quality standards. Customers received weekly updates on lead times and allocations, providing the transparency required for effective brand planning. Collectively, these measures, in addition to the proven ability to protect supply throughout the UK site’s downtime earned Stoelzle the renowned Diageo Global Supplier Award 2025.
Diageo’s award recognition links the honour to the glass manufactuer’s performance under disruption, highlighting service continuity, close coordination, and accelerated tooling and mould management to protect supply for key brands. For premium spirits manufacturers, this recognition is a clear signal that security of supply is not a promise, but a performance. Stoelzle earned that trust when it mattered most.
Dr. August Grupp, CEO of Stoelzle, emphasises the importance of ensuring supply chain security in the real world. “Premium spirits brands cannot afford supply disruption in today’s volatile market. When our UK site went offline, our network absorbed the shock and kept our customers on schedule. That is what supply chain resilience means.”
In parallel, Stoelzle Flaconnage successfully completed an accelerated rebuild and resumed operations on 22 December 2025, equipped with cutting-edge furnace technology and new, high-performance forming lines. Since the restart, ramp-up in the UK has been seamless, maintaining continuous supply and reliable delivery performance for valued customers. The investment will strengthen process stability and efficiency, supporting higher throughput and creating additional resilience for customers in the premium spirits segment. For procurement leaders in premium spirits, the takeaway is straightforward: Stoelzle has multiple production sites with built-in backup. Whether brands prefer two suppliers or a single-source partnership with excellent risk mitigation, Stoelzle ensures supply through its own network. This simplifies procurement coordination and keeps brand plans on track.
About Stoelzle
Stoelzle is a global leader in the manufacture and decoration of glass packaging for premium brands across the spirits, beauty, healthcare, and consumer (food and beverage) sectors. Founded more than 200 years ago in Austria, the company became part of the family-owned CAG Group in 1987. Since then, it has expanded beyond its Austrian roots to become an international organization. Today, Stoelzle operates six production sites and four decoration facilities across Europe and North America, supported by sales offices in Austria, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Poland, Italy, and beyond. This global network enables the group to serve brands of all sizes with the same dedication and forward-thinking spirit: delivering innovative glass solutions that reflect quality, creativity, and responsibility, anchored in a strong commitment to excellence.
