In June, Brenham, TX-based Blue Bell Creameries introduced a new ice cream line in four 48-oz varieties called Crème Supreme in a “cross between a square and round container,” says Mark Patranella, the company’s manager of purchasing and receiving.
Preformed containers and lids are supplied by Huhtamaki Consumer Packaging Business Unit (De Soto, KS). Huhtamaki’s Regal® container incorporates paperboard with an inner and outer plastic coating. Prior to forming the container, Huhtamaki litho-prints the paperboard in six colors plus varnish. The same print method is used for the four-color Medley® composite lid that includes a paperboard disk sealed to an injection-molded polyethylene ring. Nested containers and nested lids are shipped to Blue Bell for filling at 45 containers/min, Patranella estimates. Blue Bell leases Huhtamaki’s FC-2300-60 compact rotary filler and capper, and CF-3100 lid unscrambler, to do the job.
“These were the newest containers available in the market. We made a financial investment, but our cost is limited to developing the product, and the artwork,” says Patranella.
Crème Supreme retails for $4.59 in Texas and about 14 southeastern states. “Initially it’s been well accepted in the market,” says Patranella. “The whole selling point is that it’s more space-efficient versus our round half-gallon package. It uses space more efficiently,” in the store, he says. “The Regal container,” he points out, “provides us with package differentiation for a new product in the market.” —JB
