Finding the top 10 glass bottle manufacturers in Europe can be challenging. Many European manufacturers claim to be the best. They offer excellent quality, but their pricing is also high. This can be confusing when choosing a manufacturer from the endless list. That’s where this article will be a great help.
I’ve thoroughly researched European brands and checked them against my criteria. As a result, I will give you the top 10 glass bottle manufacturers that fulfill my criteria. My criteria include bottle quality, warranty, durability, and customer support. So, let’s discuss each of those manufacturers and their specialties.
Top 10 Glass Bottle Manufacturers in Europe
Glass bottles are timeless and 100% recyclable. Behind every glass bottle is a manufacturer who ensures quality and durability. However, Europe is home to the world’s leading glass bottle manufacturers. I will explore the top 10 manufacturers and their specifications in the section below. Let’s dig right in!
1- Ardagh Group
- Founded: 1932
- CEO: Paul Coulson
- No of Employees: 23,500
- Headquarters: Luxembourg
Ardagh Group is the biggest glass-making company in Europe. It was founded as the Irish Glass Bottle Company in 1932. However, in 1998, Paul Coulson bought this company and expanded it to different countries. Earlier, the owner was focused only on making glass bottles. However, in 2011, Paul purchased Impress Group for metal packaging. Today, it is known as Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP).
They produce 100% recyclable glass bottles, jars, and cosmetics in glass making. The company offers new design bottles with innovative technology to reduce waste. Moreover, the lightweight glass bottles make them more popular worldwide. In 2017, the company was launched on the New York Stock Exchange. Ardagh Group operates 89 plants in 22 countries.
2- Stölzle Glass Group
- Founded: 1805
- Headquarter: Köflach, Austria
- Annual production: 3.4 billion glass bottles every year
With over 200 years of experience, it is one of Europe’s oldest glass bottle-making companies. The company started its journey from Bärnbach, Austria, by making small glass products for everyday use. However, in 1978, it was merged with another company known as Oberglas AG. After that, the headquarters were moved to Köflach, officially becoming “Stölzle-Oberglas AG.”
Glass quality was average at that time due to a lack of technology. In 1987, Cornelius Grupp bought the company and introduced advanced machines to improve it. From 1992 to 2001, the company expanded by implementing several plants in countries such as Poland and the UK. Today, it serves high-quality glass for perfumes, cosmetics, alcohol, and spirits worldwide.
3- Bruni Glass
- Founded: 1974
- Headquarters: Milan, Italy
- Company Type: Private
The company was founded as Vetrerie Bruni S.r.l. in Italy. It was a local glass-making brand in Italy. However, the quality of its products made it famous in nearby areas. Soon, Bruni gained popularity outside the country. In 2016, it was acquired by the American “Berlin Packaging” Company. Hence, today, this company is known as a premium glass packaging supplier worldwide.
Bruni focuses on durability, style, and functional design. Its world-class design studio engages with clients to manufacture custom designs. This makes it more innovative and popular in many countries. In addition to Italy, this company has plants in France, Spain, Germany, and Canada. It ensures high quality, suitability, durability, and unique style in glass bottles.
4- Schott AG
- Founded: 1884
- Founder: Otto Schott
- No of Employees: 17,100
- Headquarter: Mainz, Germany
Schott AG is one of the leading glass-making companies in the world. Actually, it was established by a chemist, Otto Schott, who was a glass expert. He invented borosilicate glass that was heat—and chemical-resistant. This glass proved very helpful for microscopes and optical instruments. This discovery proved a first step toward his success, and the company became famous quickly.
Today, this company manufactures several unique glass products, including bottles. It also offers ceramic, electronics, healthcare, and optic products. Schott AG has more than 30 plants worldwide, including North America and Asia. They manufacture high-quality, customized, and durable glass for different purposes.
5- Saint-Louis
- Founded: 1586
- Owned By: Hermès Group ( French Luxury Brand)
- Headquarter: Saint-Louis-lès-Bitche, Lorraine, France
This is one of the old and royal-based glass-making companies. It was founded as Münzthal Glassworks, which used to produce simple glass wares. In 1767, King Louis XV granted it royalty status and changed its name to Saint-Louis. Due to this status, many royal glass manufacturers joined this company. In 1781, Saint-Louis first discovered how to make crystal glass.
These glasses were used as wine bottles for royal families. With time, it started growing with innovative technology. However, today, this company is still known for making handmade and luxurious glass bottles. Although it has several stores in different countries, it has only a manufacturing plant in France. They offer unique designs, including colored crystals, engraving, and chandeliers.
6- Bormioli Rocco
- Founded: 1825
- Founder: Luigi Bormioli
- Headquarter: Fidenza, Italy
It is a family-owned company started by Luigi Bormioli, his sons, and his wife. This family was already known for the glass-making art in Italy. They started this business on a small scale. However, in 1825, Bormioli purchased a large area with money from his father to start a proper company. After he died in 1832, his wife continued the business and never stopped struggling.
Soon, the company became financially strong and acquired the “Royal Factory of Ceramics and Strada Farnese. These two companies were merged and named “Brothers Bormioli Glassware.” They started making machine-made drinking glasses, beverage bottles, and cosmetics there. Today, it is one of the leading glass-making companies in Italy, ensuring quality and serving the world.
7- Hadeland Glassverk
- Founded: 1762
- Key People: Ole Christian Berg
- Headquarters: Jevnaker, Norway (near Lake Randsfjorden)
With 262 years of experience, it is the oldest glass-making company in Norway. In the earlier days, it was established to make small handcrafted products. The reason was the lack of technology and staff. However, after some years, when Ole Christian Berg took charge of this company, an experienced glass maker was hired from Germany.
Later, they started making crystal glass products, including bottles. The handmade touch in the products makes this company famous around the world. With beautiful art design, it is known today as a leading European company. With single production plants, Hadeland serves several countries at affordable prices.
8- Pilkington
- Founded: 1826
- Founder: William Pilkington
- Headquarters: Lathom, Lancashire, England
It is a renowned British glass manufacturing company in Europe. The first name of this company was St Helens Crown Glass Company. The owner, Pilkington, partnered with the Greenall family in 1829, and the name was changed to Greenall & Pilkington Company. But in 1849, Greenall left the company, and it became the Pilkington Brothers company.
This company gained fame when the owner invented the float glass process. This new process involves molten glass floating over a bath of molten tin, producing high-quality glass products. It proved very helpful, and the company became public in 1970. It operates globally across multiple countries. Standard products include glass bottles and glazing solutions for automotive and architectural applications.
9- Allied Glass
- Founded: 1874
- CEO: Alan Henderson
- Headquarters: Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Four people in Yorkshire, England, started the company. Three were glassblowers, and one was a blacksmith who helped make glass production equipment. The art design of glass products made them famous, and Andrew Mooney bought the company in 1880. It underwent several acquisitions and finally merged with Lax & Shaw Leeds and became “Allied Glass Containers Ltd.”
In 2022, Verallia Group of Glassmakers ( A France-based company) bought this company. It is the largest independent glass manufacturer in the UK. The Allied company makes luxurious glass bottles for whisky, vodka, gin, and other spirits. It produces 600 million bottles annually, and 60% of this production goes to whisky bottles. They also offer custom-designed bottles for brands worldwide.
10- Riedel
- Founded: 1756
- CEO: Maximilian Riedel
- Headquarter: Kufstein, Austria
Riedel is the oldest family-owned company known for making wine glass bottles. The company’s story began when Johann Christoph Riedel initiated a small glasswork business. With time, the company expanded into eight glass-making factories until the 1800s. However, the company was closed during World War II due to financial crises. In 1956, Johann’s sons restarted their glass-making business in Kufstein.
With time, they gained their old fame by making high-quality and innovative glass designs. Today, the 11th generation of Johann Christoph Riedel runs this business with the same reputation. Riedel is known for creating unique wine glass bottles for special wines such as red and champagne. Moreover, it produces 200,000 handmade and 56 million machined glass bottles yearly.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Glass Bottle Manufacturers In Europe
Not all glass bottle manufacturers offer equal quality and services. Thus, before you decide, you must consider the essential factors which are as follows:
- First, ensure the quality of the glass bottles they offer. For this purpose, you can ask for samples or details of raw materials. Make sure that the company complies with testing standards. Look for quality certifications such as ISO 9001, FDA, or EU.
- You should prefer the company that offers customization. For example, they can create unique bottle designs and shapes. Moreover, they should offer this facility if you want brand logos and names.
- Production capacity and lead time are other factors you must consider. Lead time refers to the period in which a company delivers your order. Thus, look for a flexible company with lead time in an emergency. Moreover, they should have a higher production capacity to meet your requirements.
- The location of a manufacturer affects the shipping cost and lead time. Therefore, explore their different plant locations and find a nearby location. Moreover, you should also ask them about their international exportation policies and taxes.
- Each manufacturer has different prices; thus, compare their prices and overall cost. Some companies demand higher prices due to automated processes and expensive raw materials. You should go for the company that offers discounts on bulk orders. You must consider hidden fees such as shipping, packaging, and taxes.
Conclusion
Europe is known as a home for manufacturing high-quality glass bottles. You can find a thousand options there. However, finding the most reliable among those options is very difficult. Thus, I have explored the 10 top glass bottle manufacturers in this article. I have collected their history and information from their official websites.
For further information, you can contact their team. These manufacturers ensure high quality and have several years of experience in glass making. But remember that each has different prices, taxes, and exportation specifications. Thus, before you make a final selection, consider factors like quality, lead time, and location.