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Danone launches an unfrozen fro yo

Who wouldn’t want to get in on the frozen yogurt craze? But if you’re one of the world’s most famous marketers of fresh product, maybe you do it by way of the refrigerated case.

Four of the injection molded PP cups with foil lidding are robotically loaded into a PET tray that then passes through a flow wrapper to produce this attractive retail pack.
Four of the injection molded PP cups with foil lidding are robotically loaded into a PET tray that then passes through a flow wrapper to produce this attractive retail pack.

Frozen yogurt continues to grow increasingly popular. So if you’re the world’s leading producer of traditional yogurt, how do you get in on all the growth opportunities available in the frozen variety?

Well, if you’re Danone, you introduce Yolado, a frozen yogurt that’s not frozen. Launched in May of 2012 in Spain, this product is sold through the refrigerated chain. The consumer buys it at the supermarket and takes it home to freeze it. Its refrigerated shelf life is 30 days, and once it’s frozen it’s best consumed within 60 days. When asked why not sell a frozen yogurt that’s frozen in the first place, Packaging Development Manager Michelle Boadas put it this way.

“We are a fresh product company. We don’t do frozen food. We are experts in fresh products.”

Among the many intriguing things about Yolado is how nimble Danone has been in introducing it. For example, at launch it came in two sizes: a multi-serve 500-mL and a single-serve 125-mL. In year two, the larger size has been eliminated. As for the single-serve, it has all new graphics.

According to Boadas, the larger size was eliminated because it just wasn’t catching on with consumers the way the smaller size was. And the new graphics? Boadas says the cleaner and simpler look, with its reliance on white, is largely about freshness, simplicity, and goodness. Supplied and in-mold-labeled by ITC Packaging, the polypropylene cups were designed with help from a Spanish Innovation Consultancy agency called Loop.

“We relied on Loop for help in thinking outside the box,” says Boadas. “They helped us make the design more daring while still being respectful of the general Danone spirit and philosophy of design and package appearance, and always keeping in mind the rules of our business.

“In designing the Yolado package,” Boadas continues, “we wanted to reference ice cream containers. The lip of the package, for example, is not flat. It has a slight downward angle that echoes an ice cream package. ITC also made a strong contribution with in-mold labeling and injection molding know-how.”

Premium image
Boadas and colleagues wanted to project a premium image with this container, which was another reason they opted for premade injection-molded cups rather than the typically more economical thermoform/fill/seal approach that so many Danone plants have recently been switching to.

“That’s not to say you can’t produce a very fine cup with f/f/s,” notes Boadas. “But you have a little more control over material flow with injection molding. Another compelling reason for going with preformed cups is that when we first launched we had two package sizes to produce. It’s much easier to change the filling machine from one size to another when you are dealing with pre-made cups.”

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