At Pack Expo Las Vegas 2011, it was announced that Plantation® brand natural “raw” sugar will become the first product to go to market in the new Zipbox® resealable carton format. The Zipbox is a joint venture between Zip-Pak and T.H.E.M.

Plantation, which will debut in the U.S. this year, says it chose the Zipbox because it alters the packaging landscape on the shelf, ensuring their product will stand out among traditional pouch packs in the “natural sugars” segment.

“When we were first introduced to the Zipbox, its novelty was compelling because we knew it would resonate with retailers as an innovative new package format,” says William McDaniel, president and CEO of U.S. Sugar Co., Inc., Buffalo, NY, the manufacturer of the Plantation brand. “There has not been a successful packaging innovation in the sugar category for several years, and we are excited to take our Plantation brand to market as the first in this type of package.”

Zipbox is a poly-coated paperboard carton incorporating an attached flexible film header containing a Zip-Pak Press-to-Close™ solution. The Zipbox is designed to facilitate direct filling of products without the need for an inner liner. By removing the liner, the package can hold up to 40% more product, says Zip-Pak, maximizing the product-to-package ratio and cube utilization to reduce transportation costs.

“We were pleased to see the cost of producing the Zipbox was quite competitive with other package formats when taking fill speeds and pallet efficiencies into account,” adds McDaniel. The 3-lb Zipbox format was chosen in order to give the consumer a better value compared to existing “raw sugar” products. The Zipbox also eliminates the need to use clips or to transfer contents into a separate container, keeping marketing messages in front of the consumer through the last use.