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Suiza dairy touts 'squishy' bottle

A soft LDPE bottle and ‘sipper protrusion’ make it easy for kids to hold and drink single-serve milks. Suiza’s Country Fresh dairy introduces two distinct brands of milk in the containers.

The top portion of the Squish-Pak! bottle's two-piece closure is removed (below left), revealing the 'sipper protrusion' that m
The top portion of the Squish-Pak! bottle's two-piece closure is removed (below left), revealing the "sipper protrusion" that m

Portability, tactility and “drinkability” are the primary consumer benefits of a new bottle and closure combination for single-serve milks marketed by Country Fresh, Inc. In late August, the Grand Rapids, MI-based dairy began selling vitamin- and calcium-fortified kidsmilk™ in what’s called the Squish-Pak!® container. That follows the recent rollout of Milk-It!® milks in the identical bottle/closure.

Country Fresh is part of Suiza Foods’ Midwest Region. The dairy began test-marketing Milk-It! in the container in ’98. The company continues to expand the product’s distribution. Progressive Plastics (Cleveland, OH) injection blow-molds the “soft” low-density polyethylene bottle.

The soft, squeezable tactility is achieved through molding on a Uniloy Milacron (Manchester, MI) machine. During the process, the machine molds bottles at the thinnest wall thickness that will still deliver enough rigidity to withstand distribution rigors.

‘Sipper’ closure

Made to fit a child’s hand, the bottle’s softness allows kids to easily squeeze the 8 oz of milk through a spout. It’s called a “sipper protrusion” and is a two-piece, injection-molded LDPE closure supplied by Portola Packaging (San Jose, CA). Before drinking, kids remove a tamper-evident “zip strip” to open the pack. The zip strip safety band stays attached to the top piece of the closure during opening. Once the top portion of the closure is removed, the sipper protrusion is revealed.

The protrusion is part of a second plug-like part of the closure that fits into the container’s neck. Country Fresh promotional literature describes the closure as a “tamper-evident, spill-resistant, reclosable cap.” The top piece can be snapped back onto the sipper piece to provide reclosability.

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