Accessibility is a big topic in packaging these days, and underserved or altogether untapped population segments, and their dollar shares, await CPGs and brands that can better accommodate them. That’s at least partially why Chilau Foods, a line of southern-inspired stew bases and spices, adopted the EEASY Lid by Consumer Convenience Technologies (CCT) for all of its products in a move it says will provide consumers with a new level of accessibility.
“While our stew bases were created to make cooking simple and delicious, opening our jars should be just as easy,” says Michael Anderson, founder of Chilau Foods. “We’ve always been a company that makes cooking easy for consumers. As we expand, the EEASY Lid allows us to provide our customers with an unbeatable cooking experience, starting with accessible packaging.” 
IPAC, Inc. of Winter Springs, Fla.–Chilau Foods’ the copacker–recently converted its manufacturing line to accommodate the EEASY Lid, which is designed to help brands provide an unprecedented level of accessibility to their jarred food products. The EEASY Lid allows consumers to vent a vacuum-sealed jar by simply pressing a button on the lid, reducing the amount of torque needed to twist off the lid by up to 50%.
Traditional jarred products on a store shelf require more than 40 in-lb of torque to open, with some requiring more than 50 in-lb of torque. With the EEASY Lid, it only takes an average of 9 in-lb of torque to open a jar. Chilau’s products are currently available in nearly 350 stores across the U.S., including Winn-Dixie, Market Street, Albertsons, United Supermarkets, Harveys Supermarkets, and Plum Market. The new lid will be on all of its jars and in all of its market locations by early 2024. PW
