Pouch with pocket wins for Wyler's

New barrier materials and machine modifications permit unique ‘pouch within a pouch’ as Wyler’s switches from canister to flexible packaging.

One of two horizontal form/fill/seal pouch machines produces the Wyler's Soup Starter packs.
One of two horizontal form/fill/seal pouch machines produces the Wyler's Soup Starter packs.

When it was a brand owned by Borden Foods, Wyler’s Soup Starter turned around market sales declines by improving the product and switching from a canister to an innovative double pouch pack. The credit for the packaging transformation was owed to Borden’s Innovation Centre in Columbus, OH. It was closed after Pittsburgh-based H. J. Heinz purchased Wyler’s and other brands from Borden earlier this summer.

The Innovation Centre was responsible for developing several distinctive food products and equally inventive packaging for several of them. In fact, along with Wyler’s double pouch pack, the Centre also developed the Classico It’s Pasta Anytime line of shelf-stable meals that incorporate a different type of double pouch (see Packaging World, April ’00, p. 2).

For Wyler’s Soup Starter dry mix, the new stand-up pouch was developed by Borden packaging engineers with considerable help from converter Curwood, Inc. (Oshkosh, WI) and machinery manufacturer Klöckner Bartelt (Sarasota, FL).

Since the new package’s introduction a year ago, the brand has reversed a long-running sales decline. Last December alone, the brand’s sales were up more than 17%, exceeding the company’s forecast of 10% growth. “We’re pleased with Soup Starter’s performance,” said Michael Wellner, then acting brand manager. “The gusseted pouch has enabled us to bring new life to this brand by creating a more convenient, modern, and attractive shelf presence.

“The window in the front panel provides consumers a ‘what you see is what you get’ assurance of high-quality ingredients. The commercialization of the pouch and new flavors have set the stage for future growth on Soup Starter,” said Wellner, who is now with Jimmy Dean Foods.

A true upgrade

In the previous canister package, Borden used a separate paper/polyethylene/foil/PE pouch to hold the powdered soup stock and seasonings. It served to prevent moisture transfer from the dehydrated vegetables, pasta, and/or rice. This pouch was first inserted into the paper-based canisters that were formed on-line. Later, the dehydrated ingredients were filled on top of the pouch, and the canister was sealed with a polyester lidding film topped by a linear-low-density PE overcap.

That package had two major shortcomings. One, the consumer had trouble removing the seasoning pouch without first removing all the dehydrated ingredients. Second, the package was made up of many dissimilar components that compromised its efficiency.

Although the seasoning packet could have been inserted last, Borden’s Innovation Centre sought to solve both problems by updating the complete package. “We wanted to create a high-visibility package,” notes Rod Simpson, who served Borden as associate director of packaging research and development. “We knew the stand-up pouch was becoming increasingly popular with consumers, and so was product visibility. A flexible package with appropriate barrier properties was our first choice.”

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