Without the businesses that provide bottles, closures, and next level packaging products needed to produce that finished bottle of wine, the wine industry would have a product without the means to deliver it to consumers. And in turn, suppliers value their relationships with the wineries on whom their businesses rely, often going beyond simply meeting needs — a lighter bottle, a new label, or advice on issues that develop during fermentation — to help wineries prosper.
Waterloo Container is one of those suppliers. Not only has it excelled as a packaging distributor for the beverage industry for over forty-five years, but it has also reached out to its neighbors in the Finger Lakes, NY community and the wider North American wine world to fight for issues that affect the industry’s future.
Recognized as the Glass Packaging Source, Waterloo Container offers one of the largest selections of bottles and closures in the industry, unmatched customer service, complete customization, forklift delivery service, and our own fleet of trucks. Nearly 50 years of excellence—built to deliver.
Norm and Bill Lutz founded the company in Waterloo, New York — a beautiful wine region that has achieved newfound prominence with a 2025 award as the American Wine Region of the Year. The company flourished along with the region and is now one of the largest stocking distributors in the Northeast US and eastern Canada, while also serving clients throughout the entire US and 38 countries worldwide. Their core business is distributing glass bottles for wine, beer, and spirits, in all standard formats, including champagne and sparkling wine, along with closures such as natural and synthetic corks, screw caps, and unique capsules.
Mark C. Pitifer, Marketing & Communications Administrator, describes Waterloo Container as “the last family-owned glass packaging company of its size in the Northeastern US and Canada. We’re not super large, and we’re not super corporate, but we do have a large impact.” He adds that their success is partly due to their being “that one-stop shop for everything on the dry goods side of glass packaging, from closures to customization to packaging.” They also provide branding, shrink-sleeve labels, printed glass packaging, warehousing and logistics.
Founder and CEO Bill Lutz still guides day-to-day operations and emphasizes staying on top of wine market conditions and customers’ current needs. That includes meeting the growing demand for lightweight glass and other sustainability-focused products sourced from American manufacturers, including Stelvin’s GOES Greener screw caps, Ardagh’s EcoSeries glass bottles, and M.A. Silva’s sustainable plant corks.
But Lutz and Waterloo Container go beyond the business of wine to take action to help secure its future.
Advocacy
As an advocate for environmental protection, Lutz supports initiatives to protect clean air and water and support a healthy, growing environment for grape producers and other agricultural businesses. He has actively challenged the expansion of Seneca Meadows, the Northeast’s largest landfill, over concerns that increased truck traffic and landfill odors could damage the Finger Lakes region’s agriculture and tourism as well as unknown health impacts associated with proximity to the landfill and odor.
Lutz has also been a vocal advocate for protecting domestic glass manufacturing from unfair foreign competition, meeting with state and federal lawmakers to address the challenges posed by imported Chinese glass, which, when mixed into recycling streams, contaminates domestic cullet that American manufacturers depend on.
CEO, Bill Lutz
Pitifer explains, “We see what hurdles our customers are facing and how we can use our political leverage to assist.” He adds that Waterloo Container also helps build awareness of grant opportunities and marketing assistance programs available to wineries, breweries, and distilleries through state and regional organizations.
These efforts for the beverage industry benefit all Waterloo Container clients – no matter where they are in the country. Says Pitifer, “We want to see our clients grow, and we want them to know we’re here to help them. We have what you need when you need it. Give us a call 888-539-3922 or visit us online at www.waterloocontainer.com.
