Packaging with a Purpose

by

Features

Drive Consumer Engagement with the Right Package

By Anne-Marie Hardie

At first glance, it may appear that little has changed in tea and coffee packaging. Flexible packaging continues to dominate the Western market with companies providing solutions that both protect the product while piquing consumer curiosity.  A closer look reveals nuanced innovations that alter the overall experience beginning with how the package is shaped and sealed and how the packaging encourages consumer interaction.

Merely attracting attention is insufficient — packaging must engage consumers.

ALSO:

Single-Cup is Here to Stay

Single-Serve Pushes New Boundaries

Let the package tell the story

Today’s consumers seek greater variety in their coffee and tea. Younger consumers alternate between several different beverages throughout the day.  To respond to this, roasters and tea blenders have expanded the number of SKUs (stock-keeping units) on offer. In the past, companies differentiated these products by creating a new printing plate for each SKU, a practice that is both costly and time consuming. Alternately they printed multiple versions of labels that can get lost or misaligned on the bag.

Digital printing technology enables manufacturers to uniquely package each SKU, helping move the product off the shelf. The biggest benefit is eliminating a physical plate. This allows companies to easily make changes and adjust their design.

“Companies with a high SKU diversity are now able to create a unique design for each product,” said Mike Mead, v.p. sales and marketing at Roastar, in Wausau, Wis. “This flexibility is very appealing to this segment allowing them to reach their end consumer at a more personal level.”

Companies can now use the advances in technology to tell a story through their packaging that leads to consumer engagement.  Digital printing also allows companies to test market packaging both regionally and seasonally. “You used to have to plan much more in advance, in able to launch new packaging,” said Mead. “Now people are able to take current events and trends and quickly adapt their packaging to respond.”

Micro roasters drive demand

Micro roasters are thriving as the third wave continues to build. They required packaging for small- and medium-scale production. These individuals are passionate about their coffee and are constantly seeking packaging solutions to protect the integrity of their product. 

“The real success of the micro-roaster is that moment when they realize that in order to keep up with demand they need to automate their packaging,” said Chris Burger, business director, coffee, Fres-Co System USA, Inc. “It is at this moment that the small roasters understand how automation will help them pack their product faster and keep it fresh longer.”

One solution that Burger shares has been quite popular with the micro roaster segment is Fres-Co’s G21 machine. This  equipment delivers a consistent look in packaging for the micro roaster. Automation enables the roaster to share their coffee with a larger market, responding to the consumer demand.  With multiple configurations, the G21 enables the micro roaster to produce the flexible bag that best suit their needs whether it’s the popular corner seal or a gusseted pouch, he said.

Enhancing the consumer experience

Packaging enhances the overall consumer’s experience in several ways from sharing the story of the product; introducing the mission and goals of the producer to responding to consumer desire’s such as traceability, sustainability, or ease of use. 

One product that continues to appeal to consumers, roasters, and tea blenders alike is the block bottom bag, said William Walters, e.v.p. packaging technology, at Pacific Bag with locations in Woodinville, Wash., and Lansdale, Penn. The block bottom bag stands on its own and the materials used in making this flexible package display nicely both on the shelf and in the consumer’s home, he explained. Several variations of this packaging include zip closure on the face of the bag. “One advantage of having a zipper is the consumer is able to unzip the package put in a spoon in to get the coffee or tea, and then reseal it,” said Walters. “It is about providing a convenient package solution for the consumer while still protecting the product.”

Convenience continues to drive innovation, a trend clearly demonstrated by the strong interest in single serve.

Opening ease

An aging population points to the increased need for packaging that is easier to open. Innovia’s Propafilm RCP film responds to this need with its peelable seal properties that enable consumers to easily access the product.

With the increase use of zippered and peelable closures, consumers are more likely to leave the product in the flexible package. For these consumers, an easily opened package designed to preserve freshness is essential.

“A lot of customers are asking for packaging solutions that will help extend the product’s shelf life,” said Neil Banerjee, market manager, packaging at Innovia Films with offices in London, Atlanta, Ga., Australia, Belgium, and Brazil. 

“For tea it is about ensuring that the package has a high seal integrity keeping oxygen, moisture, and UV light out while ensuring that the aroma remains in.”

Innovia’s line of biaxially oriented polypropylene films respond to this need by providing solutions for box overwrap, sachets, and bag-in-box applications. 

In order to determine the right package, companies need to respond to both the products’ needs and the target market’s perception. One product that is a clear example of this is the vacuum brick pack, a packaging format popular in Central America in the Middle East.

“Like everything in the world, packaging is culturally based,” said Phillip Angus, director of business development, ICA USA. “There is a perception that with the vacuum packed product, that the consumer will have a fresher product.”  As an additional bonus, shared Angus, the brick pack is extremely durable and transports well, which is why it is also often the choice for cruise lines.  

One packaging concern that recently come to light in Europe is the fact that some products packed in recycled cardboard are at risk of mineral oil migration.

“People want films, when they are packing the products in a box, with a high barrier that will protect their food from the mineral oil migration,” said Banerjee. Safety is paramount and manufacturers need to consider whether their package provides a mineral oil barrier allowing customers to safely pack their products and provide peace of mind. One product that addresses this concern is Innovia’s Propafilm RCU which has been confirmed to significantly reduce mineral oil migration from recycled cardboard.

There are several ways to make the product stand out on a shelf, whether colorful display and images, sharing the product’s story, seals and emblems indicating certifications or by simply responding to the increased interest in sustainability. Consumers want more than just an enticing appearance, they want a company, that they can stand behind.

Design Lab

“Great design and great coffee go hand-in-hand,” observes Stefani McGee, event marketing manager at SCAA. This year the association highlighted coffee bag packaging with a popular interactive display at its Atlanta convention. Sixty-five roasters and retailers submitted their most creative and innovative designs. Judges selected 20 to display at the event.

Sustainable packaging

Concern about the amount of packaging waste has led consumers to support retailers who work with producers to deliver minimal packaging in sustainable materials that they feel good about.

“The market needs to take a hard look at what we can say about a package and what was valuable to the consumer about the package,” said Walters. “Just saying [a package is] biodegradable is no longer enough.” The sustainability story is far from simplistic. In the past descriptions like biodegradable and compostable were used interchangeably. Today local governments subject companies to demonstrate their claims and to meet standards developed and reviewed by third-party certifiers.

Pacific Bag’s Biotré Film was created to provide a sustainable solution for the flexible package segment. Composed of 60% wood pulp that is biodegradable for home composting. This fall, Pacific Bag will launch a new generation of Biotré that conforms to new insights in sustainability. “The new generation films are made up of 99% renewable materials, the resulting package will still be 60% compostable of which 40% break down in an accelerated fashion but only 1% of the package is comprised of materials that require fossil fuel,” said Walters.

In the world of bottled beverages, hot fill packages traditionally required a heavier weight and the use of vacuum panels that interfere with the clean look to the package while increasing waste.  To respond to these concerns, Plastipak Packaging has developed a hot fill solution that offers the same user experience that the user as as cold fill product. “We wanted to create a bottle that looks and feels like a glass package, but does not have all of the vacuum panels,” said Tim Eppinga, Plastipak Packaging.

The goal was to reduce the weight of traditional hot fill containers and eliminat the need for vacuum panels. Their solution is a thermoshape machine that uses heat and pressure to reshape the bottle after filling. “We wanted to enhance the consumer experience, and still make it a value proposition for our customers,” says Eppinga. “This package blends the benefits of hot filling together with the packaging you get in cold filled environments.” The thermoshape solution works on a range of bottle sizes from 200 ml up to 2 liters.

When it comes to PET (polyethylene terephthalate ) bottles, companies are typically looking for products that will reduce the weight while preserving the integrity of the product.  Plastipak’s DiamondClear features a monolayer structure that essentially creates a barrier for the product while preserving freshness through the use of oxygen scavengers that do not obscure the clear appearance of the bottle.

Innovations in packaging continue to enable roasters and tea blenders to set their product apart from the myriad of others on the shelf.  The key to moving the product off the shelf is developing a package that connects with the consumer whether it’s through the image on the bag, the materials chosen or innovative features like zippers or resealable films.