Brown sugar stays soft in a premeasured pouch

Imperial Sugar Co., Sugar Land, TX, says at-home bakers can kiss clumping good-bye with new Redi-Measure Light Brown Sugar in premeasured pouches. Introduced in stores in the South and Southeast U.S. in mid-November, Redi-Measure is sold in a 12-pack carton, with each pouch containing 1/4 cup of “firmly packed, always soft” brown sugar.

Says Hyuna Lee, Imperial Sugar brand manager, “We reviewed hundreds of recipes and found that one-quarter cup increments addressed 80-percent plus of the required amount in those recipes.”

The Redi-Measure concept, which sprang from consumer research, provides Imperial Sugar with an advantage over competing products in this commodity category by adding value through packaging. Says Imperial Sugar manager of new packaging development Sally Zehnal, “Imperial is breaking out of the ‘commodity company’ mode and entering the retail arena with new ideas. This product launch was based on consumer insight and a specific need that was not being addressed with the current offering. We are listening and providing convenient solutions for the consumer to help with their everyday tasks, including baking.”

Convenience is the key feature

Pouches are constructed of a two-side heat-sealable oriented polypropylene from Plastic Suppliers (www.plasticsuppliers.com) that is printed by Poly Plastics, Inc. (www.polyplastics.com). Copy promotes “12  1/4-cup pouches” against a golden brown background. The pouches are made with a lap seal on a vertical form/fill/seal machine.

Secondary packaging is a clay-coated 20-pt SUS carton with an easy-open zip strip and a reclosable, tuck-in feature. Die-cut windows on the front and side of the box allow consumers to see and touch the individually packed sugar pouches inside. Carton graphics, the work of CMA Design (www.cmadesign.com), rely on the brand equity of the Imperial Sugar logo, along with a depiction of a pouch—the center of which includes the die-cut window.

Zehnal says Redi-Measure is being contract-packed by Komplete Packaging (www.kpak.com) in Grand Prairie, TX, using standard vf/f/s equipment. “However, special handling requirements were necessary to manage the flowability of the brown sugar,” she relates. The solution is a 10-head bucketed scale system distributed by Visual Packaging (www.visualpackaging.com) that “fluffs” the brown sugar prior to filling.

Limited distribution and shipping resources will keep Redi-Measure in the South, Lee reports. Since Imperial Sugar is only two weeks into launch at presstime, consumer feedback is not yet available. Depending upon the success of the new product, though, a dark brown sugar version may be introduced later. Redi-Measure is priced from $1.99 to $2.49 for the 12-pack carton.