The segment of to-go products is currently experiencing significant growth in fresh fruit and vegetables. Soft fruit and berry fruit in particular, are rapidly establishing themselves as snack products for in-between consumption. Parallel to this current trend, packaging suppliers in the fresh food sector are also developing sensible solutions, meeting the growing demand accordingly. According to its management, French manufacturer Guillin will also be launching some innovative solutions for the to-go segment over the next few months, among others at the upcoming ExpoSE in Karlsruhe.
To Go-Berries
The latest eye-catcher in the Guillin range is a cup for snack berries, available in units of 90-250 grams. ''We have designed an insert for our shaker so that it can combine blueberries with raspberries. So we actually offer two different berry fruits in a small package,'' says Andreas Herbrandt, sales manager for fruit and vegetable packaging of the German branch.
The packaging supplier is seeing an increasing demand for resealable retail packaging for snack foods so that direct marketers can also offer their products in to-go form. Some of our customers have already started offering the To Go-cup on the Scandinavian market and it proved to be a success. Herbrandt: ''The per capita consumption of blueberries has increased significantly, simply because now it is possible to consume these berries as a snack product. A similar development could also be achieved in Germany: the area under cultivation for blueberries is growing continuously, but we believe that consumers must be encouraged to use the product as well.''
New packaging concept
The interim conclusion of the results so far is quite clear: If you want to market a premium product, you should not offer it in standard packaging. ''The end consumer looks at the external appearance first: the packaging. If he or she finds it appealing, there will be a sale.'' says Herbrandt.
Whether the Guillin Group holds the key to market success with this new packaging concept, will become clear in the coming years. The packaging solution itself has already been patented and is now facing commercialization, which happens exclusively through distribution partners. Last but not least, Herbrandt tells us of another interesting advantage: ''Our partner has already developed a packaging machine for cocktail tomatoes and blueberries with a high level of efficiency and speed, whereby the cups are filled and sealed automatically. As a result, we save labor and costs."
International group of companies
The German branch of the Guillin Groupe was opened in 2014 in Saarlouis - close to the French border. The group has branches in various European countries: the factories VERIPACK (Spain), NESPAK (Italy), DYNA PLAST (France), SHARPAK (UK) and the branches Guillin Poland, Guillin Netherlands. It supplies packaging for different product segments. The market share of fruit and vegetable packaging is growing steadily, especially in the area of soft fruits.
Visit the company at the upcoming ExpoSE in Karlsruhe (21 and 22 November, Hall 2 / N-11)
For more information:
Guillin Deutschland
Ostring 57 - 66740 Saarlouis
Telefon: 06831 48 77 565
Fax: 06831 48 77 882
E-mail: info@guillindeutschland.de
Website: www.guillindeutschland.de