Scrumptiously Printed ‘Box Pouch’ Expands Distribution, Consumer Convenience for Gourmet Popcorn

The box-pouch style, manufactured by Bryce on a Totani Box Pouch machine, offers a number of advantages for the Popcornopolis brand. Among them, says Clark, is shelf stability, as the sturdier base prevents tipping, “spectacular” on-shelf presentation, a larger primary display panel and two side panels for a total of five printable surfaces, and an easy open-and-reclose feature—a first for the ready-to-eat popcorn category—that not only provides consumer convenience, but also helps reduce food waste.

For the bag graphics, Popcornopolis created a design incorporating the brand’s iconic tube packaging. Says Clark, “Converting the cone-shaped pouch to an opaque structure required focused attention to detail to create an image on all sides of the box pouch that accurately depicted the delicious popcorn inside.”

Because the structure is different on the gussets and the front and back panels, Clark explains that the job required two different color separations “The images had to match visually as they cascaded across the different panels of the package,” he says. “Using Expanded Color Gamut separations in the process images allowed a larger gamut and more grey levels to overcome the impact of the metallized film in the structure.”

The bag is flexo-printed in nine colors, including ECG Orange and pearlescent inks. Clark says Bryce also used FM (frequency modulated) screens in the highlights to provide as much detail in the popcorn as possible. He adds that the job also required a color match of the popcorn inside the clear tube and a field of popcorn exploding outside the image.

The bag, in a 7.5-oz size, was introduced to retail in March 2021 for five indulgent popcorn varieties and according to Robinson was received by consumers with unanimous delight. The new offering is available via the Popcornopolis website, as well as in select retailers nationwide.