Specialty Coffee Retailer is a publication for owners, managers and employees of retail outlets that sell specialty coffee. Its scope includes best sales practices, supplies, business trends and anything else to assist the small coffee retailer.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/258589
22 | February 2014 • www.specialty-coffee.com e multiplying number of little plastic cups mark a counterintuitive trend for a market that otherwise responds to eco-conscious innovations. "e vast majority of K-cups are produced from multilayer polystyrene, which has its challenges as it relates to consumer perception, recyclability and even performance," Foster says. Printpack's answer is to build a better K-cup, using polypropylene to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and extend shelf life at a comparable price. Polystyrene falls in the same recycling category as carryout beverage cups. e rm is also developing a fully compostable solution. Seattle-based Pacic Bag also oers a propylene pod packaging option. Not all communities accept polypropylene for recycling (it's marked with the logo for category 5 recyclables), and coee operators should check on the best ways to dispose of used pods. "e PBideas product line is based on the idea that specialty coee roasters will deliver a fresher and higher quality cup of coee, at a higher price point, than the mass produced retail cups," says Kelle Vandenberg, director of marketing and inside sales. "Specialty roasters can leverage the convenience of the single serve in home systems, like the Keurig, and capitalize on freshness and quality." Tradeos between freshness and convenience extend to more traditional coee packaging. inner-gauge bags may leave less for landlls. "One way Printpack encourages waste minimization is through source reduction," notes Foster. "ere are opportunities to look at down gauging with almost every package. In addition to down gauging, we've been exploring multiple bio-based lms, including cellulose and starch based sealants. e watch out with these types of products is that there can be tradeos in terms of cost and oxygen barrier." e best way to keep coee fresh, Vandenberg says, is to keep out moisture or oxidation with an airtight foil bag with a valve that allows carbon dioxide to escape. "What does fresh coee taste like? Our experience indicates that coee roasters with distribution extending beyond 7 to 10 days use barrier packaging with a one-way valve," he says. Long-term storage requires heat-sealing, says Robert Pocius, president of TekPak Solutions in Hamilton, Ontario. "Some tin-tied bags are made of foil or Omnidegradable Bio-Foil. As long as they are heat-sealed they can provide a long shelf life. An unsealed tin-tie bag is designed for very short-term storage, perhaps a month. Foil or Bio-Foil can last up to a year." Environmental concerns extend to labeling as well. "Origins of products need to be traceable back to their source to maintain trust throughout the supply chain," Foster says. "Consumers are becoming increasingly more aware of environmental issues T FTC "" . 20-25 packaging SCR0214.indd 22 2/6/2014 12:22:13 PM