Jack Mans, Plant Operations Editor

March 11, 2015

7 Min Read
Packaging Concepts

Beer Lime 4-pack extends shelf life, appeal

Market Source, a fresh produce repacker and distributor headq293274-292990_292972_Beer_Lime_4_pack_jpg_jpg.jpg

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uartered in Milwaukee, WI, has launched a new 4-pack of limes, called Beer Lime, the ultimate combination of convenience, taste and long-lasting quality.

According to the company, the Beer Lime 4-pack is better than bulk and bagged limes because of the packaging design that bundles convenience with extended shelf life.


Each package of Beer Lime contains four perfectly sized, premium quality limes, which remain firm, plump and juicy long after their bulk and bagged counterparts have begun to show age. The secret to "lime longevity" is the virgin APET packaging material combined with the respiration rate within the carton to create an optimum atmosphere for storing limes. 


"Our initial goal was simple-to bring consistently sized, firm, green and juicy limes to the eating and drinking world," says Sam Maglio, president of Market Source. "We never set out to create a package that made limes last longer; we just thought the [plastic] box had a lot of consumer appeal. After creating the package and having some samples sitting around our office, we realized we had created the perfect atmosphere for dramatically extending the average shelf life of limes for up to four weeks." 


The transparent cartons are offset-printed using the four process colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. "The graphics used allowed for visibility of the limes. The graphics draw you to it," says John Berger, general manager at Market Source. 


Market Source began production of Beer Lime in June and is distributing to select retailers across the U.S. Beer Lime is packed and shipped from a new plant in McAllen, TX.

 

Maple Sugar Bubble Bath

New in Canada from Upper Canada Soap & Candle Makers is Naturally Upper Canada Signature Collection Golden Maple Sugar Bubble Bath available in a decorative 240-mL glass bottle molded in the shape of a maple leaf; and featuring an elasticated hanger portion.


The closure is a simple screw-on, injection-molded PP cap covered with a security seal shrink band. Apart from using glass, there is a new attachment method for the hanging plastic label. The highly elasticated hanger portion is shaped to fit the neck and sealed onto the tag.


Mintel notes how the use of glass and the maple leaf style design goes a long way in denoting luxury, as does the products' food-inspired formulation: It is made with maple sugar extract, Shea butter and cocoa butter, and is said to offer ultimate relaxation and skin nourishment. The packaged product further highlights the ongoing crossover between food and beauty markets, and how consumers can be drawn to beauty products which incorporate familiar and indulgent food ingredients.

 

Colorful cans quickly chill infused waters

New Age Beverage introduces Just Pure Water in 24-oz cans 293275-292479_Just_Pure_Water_jpg.jpg

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to markets in Denver, CO, and Phoenix, AZ. The 24-oz can offers consumers a quick-chilling, lightweight package for the unsweetened, zero-calorie purified water infused with the natural essences of three flavors: lemon-lime, orange or berry. 


"Packaging our Just Pure Water in aluminum cans was the natural solution for our company," says Scott LeBon, president and CEO of New Age Beverage. "Selecting the purest of natural ingredients for Just Pure Water and then offering it in recyclable aluminum cans combine the best that Mother Nature can offer in a package that is environmentally friendly and convenient. We are proud to have Sprouts as our first natural market chain to be selling Just Pure Water in Colorado and Arizona." 


The 24-oz cans are supplied by Broomfield, CO-based Ball Corp. (www.ballamericas.com), which notes that aluminum cans are the most recycled beverage package type in North America, and Ball's cans contain an average of 68 percent post-consumer content and are 100 percent recyclable.

 

Barrier-coated PET bottle brings big

growth for single-serve wines

Sutter Home Family Vineyards attributes its leadership position in the single-serve, 187-mL wine category on name brand recognition, high-quality and affordably priced varietal wines, and innovation, including innovation in the packaging arena. The vintner began using barrier PET bottles, supplied by Amcor Rigid Plastics (www.amcor.com) as a glass replacement in 2005 and has switched its entire 187-mL production to the plastic containers. The bottles preserve the look of the original glass container and run on the winery's existing glass filling line.


The sales results have been impressive. Sutter Home currently is the wine industry's leading producer of single-serve, 187-ml wines with a 38 percent market share. While the 187-mL wine segment has grown 8.4 percent per year, Sutter Home has enjoyed explosive sales with a 7.3 percent annual growth rate. The company projects total sales of 2.2 million cases in 2011, according to Wendy Nyberg, senior director of marketing at Sutter Home. 


"We have been innovators and taken an ownership stake in the 187-ml category," Nyberg remarks. "We've stayed focused on the category and effectively used our brand image, while also offering new varietals and moving to alternative PET packaging that delivers consumer convenience and sustainability benefits. Consumers have embraced PET because of its great look and feel and convenience." 


The aluminum screw-cap bottle's portability provides entrйe into venues that do not allow glass because of the potential for breakage. In addition, consumers are impressed with the glass-like appearance and the high quality of the packaging. 


A barrier coating technology developed by Germany's KHS Plasmax GmbH (www.khsplasmax.com) affords the 187-mL PET container the same shelf life as glass. The Silicon Oxide (SiOx) barrier coating is a glass-like material that seals the container from the inside to protect the contents from oxidation. This ultra thin-less than 100nm-material is transparent and resists cracking, abrasion and delamination. Moreover, it doesn't degrade over time nor limit the storage time for empty bottles. Plasmax is an FDA-compliant enhanced passive barrier for oxygen-sensitive products. The barrier coating also is easily removed during the recycling process and does not contaminate the recycling system.


This sustainability benefit is in addition to those delivered by the PET bottles themselves. Nyberg says that these key sustainability benefits are in keeping with Sutter Home's commitment to environmentally responsible practices in all aspects of its wine making operations. PET containers are one-sixth the weight of glass bottles, unbreakable, less wasteful and recyclable, she adds.

 

Welcome Home Brands asks retailers: Bag or box for bakeware?

The Welcome Home Brands line of oven-safe Paper Bakeware offers two packaging options to give grocery retailers more merchandising choices throughout the store. Available in gift bags or boxes, both packages showcase the beauty and simplicity of the product, while offering consumers clear and concise wording to describe the convenience of this whole new way to bake. 


"Consumers have never before seen this line of high-quality paper bakeware in which you can bake, store, serve and give. Our packaging is designed to communicate our convenience advantage and show how oven-safe Paper Bakeware replaces metal bakeware with style," says Sam Sheppard, co-founder and co-CEO of Welcome Home Brands. 


The gift bag packaging alludes to the gift-giving nature of home baked goods, especially when presented in Welcome Home Brands decorative paper bakeware molds. The bakeware pans are nestled in a paperboard sleeve that illustrates the bakeware in use, then wrapped in a clear plastic bag fastened at the top with a twist tie. A hang tag adds the final touch, giving the packaging a gift-able feel. 


The clear plastic box packaging also showcases the paper bakeware's decorative style. The sturdy boxes protect the product while offering retailers the option of stacking on the shelf, counter or on an end cap. An easy-to-read paperboard sleeve illustrates the paper bakeware in use. 


Eye-catching and informative, both packaging options are great choices for merchandising Welcome Home Brands Paper Bakeware throughout the store, whether they are displayed in the bakeware section or cross-merchandised with baking ingredients. 


"We offer both plastic bag and clear box packaging options to our retailers, and we're finding both of the packaging styles are doing equally well," Sheppard says. "Also, as an added convenience, our paper bakeware can be customized to meet the needs of our retailers, and it is available in multiple languages."
Welcome Home Brands offers a variety of styles and sizes for every day or seasonal baking, including paper and plastic baking cups and dessert cups, round and rectangular cake pans, and muffin and specialty shapes including fluted and heart-shaped molds. 


The paper bakeware is available for immediate shipment. 


Welcome Home Brands oven-safe paper and plastic bakeware is available nationwide for commercial use and will also be in more than 2,000 retail stores in the U.S. this fall.

 

 

About the Author(s)

Jack Mans

Plant Operations Editor

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