To sweeten the deal, the syrup comes in Buttery Cinnamon and Strawberry versions, as well as the old standby, Classic Original.
According to Ed Yuhas, director of consumer marketing for syrup-maker Aurora Foods in Columbus, OH, plastic is ideal for a kid-oriented product because it's light and shatter-resistant. But the company is not phasing out glass, which is still used for 12-, 24- and 36-oz sizes.
The coextrusion blow-molded PP bottle, from American National Can (Chicago, IL), contains a nylon barrier within its proprietary layers. "The product could lose some of its flavor intensity in plastic packaging unless there's a lining inside the bottle," Yuhas says.
Supplied by Seaquist Closures (Mukwonago, WI), the injection-molded PP closure is fitted with a drip-proof, self-sealing SimpliSqueeze(TM) valve. The user flips up the snap-action lid to reveal the valve. When the bottle is squeezed, the silicon valve rises to the spout and opens so that product can be dispensed through it. When the user stops squeezing, the valve drops back down and shuts cleanly, preventing spills from a knocked-over bottle. "It's an immediate shutoff once it's poured," says Yuhas.
As for Mrs. Butterworth's "apron", it's a 2-mil pressure-sensitive metallized polyester label from Avery Dennison Specialty Div. (Ajax, Ontario, Canada). It's printed rotary letterpress in six colors plus a UV varnish by Syracuse Labels (Liverpool, NY). Yuhas says the company will use the metallic-looking label for the first three to six months of introduction and then go to a less-expensive paper label with the same graphics.
The new kids' syrups will be test marketed in Atlanta, Phoenix, San Antonio and St. Louis some time next month. Retail price is $3.19.
