Ready Pac launches wrap kits in Bistro Bowl packaging

It’s a wrap…or is it?

Earlier this month, Ready Pac Foods Inc. introduced six restaurant-inspired Bistro Wrap Kits. The new product line uses the popular Bistro Bowl packaging for the company’s salads. For the salads and the wrap kits, these bowls are filled with lettuce, with a compartmentalized tray sitting on top holding various fresh ingredients. The wrap kits also include an artisan tortilla, sauces and “a delightful crunch,” according to the company. Then the bowl is sealed with film lidding. Packaged this way to keep ingredients separate, the wrap kit makes “soggy wrap syndrome” a thing of the past by allowing the consumer to build their wrap fresh.

Packaging Digest editors see pros and cons to using the same packaging for salads and wrap kits. What’s your take?

Lisa’s Look:

I like that Ready Pac is expanding beyond single-serve salads into make-it-yourself fresh wraps. It’s a logical extension, given how popular wraps are with health-conscious consumers. I understand why it is using the same packaging as its salads, a bowl with a compartmentalized tray holding the other ingredients. The packaging lines are set up to handle this and the company can order empty packaging components in volume.

But the bowl-with-tray doesn’t quite fit for wraps for consumers: They can’t use the bowl to fill the wrap or hold it while they are eating it. A flatter surface, more like a plate, would work better.

— Lisa McTigue Pierce, executive editor

Rick’s Review:

It’s apparent that Ready Pac continues driving deeper into conveniently packaged healthy snacks, an encouraging trend that offers the packager higher margins with value-added products. 

This kind of kit of almost-ready-to-use foods invites do-it-yourself interaction by allowing consumers to instantly tailor a wrap made fresh on-demand.

I like the bright, inviting graphics design, which mimics the company’s recent refresh of Ready Snax in which we can echo those same comments of Tristan Simpson, senior director of marketing and corporate communications at Ready Pac: “You will also notice bolder, more vibrant colors to match our fresh, healthy snacks.”

It’s also interesting that they realigned the product name—from Bistro to Bistro Bowl—to what consumers were calling it…isn’t responding to consumers the hallmark of a savvy brand owner?

— Rick Lingle, technical editor

Kari’s Comment:

I like that Ready Pac is paying attention to consumer trends by extending its product selection to include wraps for those who are looking to eat better, no matter where they are. However, while the “Bistro Bowl” concept makes sense for the salad offering, it doesn’t seem very user-friendly for the consumer who’s on the go trying to build their wrap.

— Kari Embree, senior digital content editor