Mother Parkers adopts paperboard packaging for coffees

Mother Parkers is converting its Brown Gold, Martinson and private label brands from metal coffee cans to paperboard composite containers. The company is switching to Sonoco's rigid paper container, which increases the overall recycled content of the packaging used for the coffee lines and reduces material weight by 27 percent, energy inputs by 34 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent.

"At Mother Parkers, we are passionate about coffee and our passion has made us an industry leader in the science of coffee quality control," says Lib Trombetta, Mother Parkers' director of strategic global sourcing. "When we decided to convert from metal cans to composite cans, we wanted a partner who was also passionate about quality and their product. We found that passion with Sonoco. Not only does Sonoco meet our high quality standards, their packaging experts are active members of our conversion team. Together we are delivering the best cup of coffee possible while protecting the environment."

According to Sonoco, its rigid paperboard containers are less expensive to produce and ship than metal cans, and they perform as well as metal canisters in abuse resistance and shelf life. Four different components make up the new Mother Parkers' composite can. Each component is produced by Sonoco and provides a complete packaging solution to Mother Parkers at filling plants in Fort Worth, Texas and Mississauga, Ontario.

The can is made from 100-percent recycled paperboard and includes a high-barrier liner that locks out moisture and locks in product aroma and taste. Created for non-processed applications like coffee, Sonoco's patented flexible Ultraseal membrane end creates a hermetic seal that features a unique valve to release built-up pressure in coffee packaging. Sonoco also produces and provides the metal bottoms.

Enhanced shelf appeal and branding wraps up the new coffee containers. The attractive flexo-graphic label is created using Sonoco's gravure cylinder engraving operations and rotogravure presses. Because there are no ribs on the can, the smooth surface provides superior graphic bill boarding for Mother Parkers' newly created graphics. In total, four divisions and seven Sonoco plants are producing components for the new Brown Gold and Martinson rigid paper cans.


SOURCE: Sonoco

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