Tetra Pak used PACK EXPO Las Vegas to promote its new Tetra Pak® Custom Printing initiative. Also big news was the announcement of a brand new custom printing collaboration with Toronto-based Flow Beverage Corp., a health and wellness-focused beverage company offering alkaline spring water in Tetra Pak cartons.
Installed and tested in Tetra Pak’s Denton, Tex., converting facility over the past year or so is a full-width Koenig & Bauer RotaJET 168 digital printer. The roll-fed ink-jet system has a web speed of 240 m/min (773 ft/min) and web width of 840 to 1680 mm/min (2756 to 5512 ft/min). It uses piezo-electrically modulated DOD inkjet printing heads and RotaColor water-based polymer pigment inks.
Tetra Pak sees all kinds of new business and marketing opportunities emerging thanks to the increased flexibility and the ability to customize that comes with this digital printing technology. Tetra Pak Custom Printing is described as the first and only premium ink jet-based carton package printing solution to offer brands an innovative, cost effective, and customizable system while providing all the environmental benefits of paper-based beverage cartons. Benefits like the ability to print dynamic on-pack QR codes or to include a variety of designs within the same order bring new possibilities to food and beverage brands. Digital printing also allows for smaller, more customized batch sizes and facilitates connected packaging applications via unique codes and designs.
Flow Beverage Corp. has a sizeable presence in retail stores in Canada and some in the U.S. One channel where the firm plans to make good use of customized packaging is in its partnership with Live Nation Entertainment, which promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainment in the U.S. and internationally.
“In today’s world, brands need the ability to quickly activate marketing efforts and capitalize on consumer trends,” says Pedro Goncalves, vice president of marketing Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada. “We are proud to collaborate with Flow to bring to live five bespoke designs that will soon be available at select Live Nation Canada venues as concert attendees leave their favorite shows this fall.”
“We are thrilled to be the first brand to market the unique Tetra Pak Custom Printing solution, which has allowed us to not only elevate the design of Flow’s cartons but also to open up new horizons in advertising possibilities,” says Nicholas Reichenbach, founder and CEO of Flow. “This packaging provides an artful medium that speaks volumes about our commitment to quality, sustainability, and memorable experiences. This is just the beginning, and we can’t wait to see more of our strategic foodservice and retail partners express their brand and sustainability values on pack together with us as we continue to flow with creative ideas and shape the future of beverage carton packaging together.”
