Quaker Oats Selects Graham Packaging as Bottle Supply Partner for Gatorade

The Quaker Oats Company and Graham Packaging Company have announced plans to establish a plant-within-a-plant to produce blow-molded hot-fill PET plastic bottles for Gatorade Thirst Quencher, the nation's leading sports drink.

Graham Packaging will install and operate the plastic bottle manufacturing facility at the Quaker Oats Company's $80 million beverage plant in Atlanta, which has been in operation since early 1997.

Scott Cupp, project manager for Quaker Oats, said, ``From the outset, we have taken an innovative path with respect to the design, operation, staffing, and technology of our Atlanta plant and distribution center. The integration of plastic-bottle production is one more step on that path.''

Gatorade Thirst Quencher, a product of the Quaker Oats Company, has an 80% share of the U.S. sports drink market and posted sales of $1.4 billion worldwide in 1997. Scientifically formulated to replace fluids and provide performance benefits to athletes and active consumers, Gatorade is considered part of the equipment of sport.

Graham Packaging is a leading global producer of custom blow-molded plastic containers. It operates a total of 47 facilities in 10 countries. The company's U.S. Food & Beverage Unit is the number one supplier of plastic containers to the juice industry.