STiR coffee and tea magazine

Volume 4, Number 3

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30 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 3, 2015 (June/July) T By Anne-Marie Hardie Coffee pouches are more convenient and functional.These bags zip open and seal with a Ziploc closure. Bottles can be cut and shaped on site from long plastic tubes using the Roll N Blow termoforming process. Photo by Dan Bolton he greatest innovation in modern packaging is its evolution from a vessel to insure freshness into a versatile tool to enhance the overall consumer experi- ence. Each aspect of the package from the label, ink, films, and the structure are carefully chosen to reflect and communicate the message of the company's brand. Manufacturers are continually seeking new way to address their consumer's needs from Print Pack's recent integration of the Agami bottle forming process to Ultra Flex's integration of expanded gamet printing and Fres-co's Corner Seal that eliminate back seams, manufacturers are responding to consumer's demand for versatile packaging. Preserving quality At a bare minimum, today's packaging ensures coffee is fully protected from con- taminants. While green attributes and sustainability claims draw customers to favorably view packaging, it is the basic functionality that determines whether new films and shapes survive in the market. Functionality, particularly in the world of coffee, will al- ways be in the forefront according to Jake Herbert of Innovia Films. Herbert explains that every package must protect the product from air, odor, light, and moisture, and maintain that barrier for the duration of its shelf life. Packing ground roasted coffee in heavy tins handily met the challenge beginning in 1813 when Englishmen Bryan Donkin and John Hall established the first canning fac- tory in London. In America Hills Bros. marketed the first vacuum packed one-pound coffee tins in 1903, an innovation establishing a century-old standard. As specialty coffee penetrated into mainstream retail channels the requirements changed from the simple kraft bags first used by local roasters. New packaging materi- als sandwiched barrier and exterior foils and colored films to catch the eye. The latest consist of three to four layers including aluminum and metallized polyester (PET) with polyethylene for sealing. In a nod to the early days of coffee, some of the latest materi- als resemble the original kraft with several suppliers offering gusseted and box bottom pouches made with high barrier laminates. Packaging Innovations Enhancing the overall consumer experience

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