A Tonic And Mixers Company Now Uses All-American-Made Packaging
Top Note Tonic receives its first shipment of product in new, 10-ounce, American sourced bottles.
A switch in bottle sizes has led a Midwest tonic and mixers company to not only reduce its carbon footprint but to source nearly all of its ingredients and packaging from the United States, particularly the Midwest.
Top Note Tonic just switched from 8.5 ounce bottles to 10 ounce bottles this past month, leading the brand one step closer to fulfilling their goals of becoming the 'most sustainable mixer brand in the market,' says Mary Pellettieri, co-founder.
'When COVID-19 hit, we were in a jam with finding glass bottles,' Pellettieri says. 'Originally, we purchased our bottles through our co-packer, and it was nice because we didn't have to worry about storing glass, but then COVID hit, and we recognized that it's a real risk for us not to have a little more control over the sourcing.'
A lot of glass supply tends to be global, and there are more limited choices left in the United States, with most bottle production targeting brewers or very large soft drink companies. That led many craft brewers to pivot to cans, but that also leaves 'less choice in bottle sizes, which hurts small soft drink companies, she notes.
A 12-ounce bottle didn't make sense for Top Note's all-natural tonics and mixers, and though Top Note explored using cans, it also was more costly on a smaller scale. Working with Excel Bottling Co., Pellettieri and her team discovered a 10-ounce glass bottle being made by Aardaugh Glass in St. Louis.
Top Note Tonic's mixers and tonic waters now come in 10-ounce glass bottles.
'They came back to us with this 10-ounce, traditional mixer bottle, and it was a glass bottle with metal-wrap, resealable lid, and we said 'This could work,'' Pellettieri says. 'The bottle also is the same height as a 12-ounce can so it can fit in a cooler with 12-ounce cans, and cooler placement is important with bars and restaurants.'
The 10-ounce mixer also is 'an American bar standard.' 'It also is an area that helps differentiate ourselves more,' Pellettieri says. Besides Excel and Aardaugh, Top Note also works with Silgan Closures in Illinois and Indiana, Lauterbach Labels in Wisconsin, and Greenwood Juice in Illinois.
Supply chain issues that arose during COVID may have led Pellettieri to seek out all-American and all-regional packaging sourcing, but today's tariffs make her grateful for the transition.
Global Package notes the concerns over tariffs in the glass industry. 'For both the glass industry and its customers, the introduction of these tariffs raises important questions regarding pricing, supply chains and the broader implications for global trade.'
According to the Brewers Association, there's also great concern about beer and 'empty aluminum cans' being subject to a 25 percent aluminum tariffs.
'I understand how hard it is sometimes to find the right products made in the United States,' Pellettieri says. 'It took us three years to find this solution.'
Their 10-ounce can solution debuted just shortly before Top Note Classic Tonic earned a platinum medal at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits, Ready To Drink Competition. This award, Pellettieri points out, has never been won by a traditional tonic water, making 'Top Note Classic Tonic one of the most awarded tonic waters in the world.'
'We're excited to build a Midwest supply chain,' Pellettieri says. 'Our goal is to be the lowest carbon footprint in the mixer industry.'
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