The invention relates to a method of delivering a predetermined volume of beverage into a thermoplastic container formed from a heated preform positioned in a mold, characterized in that the product includes a step of injecting at least some beverage into a recess in the preform so as to promote expansion of the preform inside the mold, the mold defining the shape of the container, a volume of beverage introduced during the injection step being at least equal to said predetermined volume, and, in addition, the method includes a step of sucking out a fraction of said volume of the beverage introduced until the volume of beverage remaining in the container is approximately equal to said predetermined volume.

The present invention relates to a process for making a container having an integral handle, comprising the steps of: a) providing a preform (1) in a mould cavity (2); b) stretch-blow moulding the preform (1) to form an intermediate container (3); c) applying one or more inwardly moving plugs (5) to form one or more concave gripping region(s), whilst maintaining the pressure within the intermediate container (3) above 1 bar and whilst the temperature of the material in the gripping region of the intermediate container is at a temperature below the glass transition temperature, T.sub.g; d) releasing excess pressure within the container, preferably prior to withdrawing the plug (5) from within the container; and e) ejecting the finished container(6) from the mould cavity (2,4).

A preform is heated, the heated preform is sealed in a sealing apparatus including a neck portion mold, a trunk portion mold and a bottom portion mold at a predetermined temperature range, and the heated preform sealed in the molds is blow-molded into a bottle. Any molded bottle is removed if the mold surface temperature of the neck portion mold, the trunk portion mold and the bottom portion mold are outside of the predetermined temperature range. A sterilizer is blasted to any molded bottle not removed when the mold surface temperature of all of the molds is in the predetermined temperature range.