Maison Riviera: Glass jars give way to plastic

Maison Riviera has abandoned the glass containers that have made its name since their arrival on the market in 2015 in favor of plastic. Fans of Riviera yogurt who have lids sold separately by the company to give a second life to the little glass pots will still be able to use them, however, since the new plastic containers, arriving in the dairy aisle at the end of August, are made in the same format.

A Maison Riviera representative says the switch from glass to plastic has enabled the company to “significantly reduce its GHG emissions.” The seven to eight million glass jars on the market were imported, as no domestic manufacturer could be found. The company's 100% recyclable polyethylene terephthalate containers, which reduce weight by 30%, are produced in Ontario. Experts interviewed by La Presse call the decision “audacious” given the recognizable branding the glass jars represent to consumers.

“It was an important product differentiator in a mature, saturated market. Everyone knew what yogurt in a glass jar was,” says agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault, Director of McGill's Farm Management and Technology Program.

However, Thériault notes that if this enables the company to maintain the quality of its ingredients, “so much the better.”