A recent study conducted by Perception Research Services (www.prsresearch.com) reaffirms that as consumers make purchase decisions at the shelf, they equate product quality with package quality.
Tillamook Cheese, a premium cheese manufacturer and farmer-owned cooperative in Tillamook, OR, came to the same conclusion for its Tillamook brand of shredded and blended cheese.
Tillamook examined the findings of recent consumer research studies and then applied them to its own brand, which is available in most major retailers west of the Rocky Mountains. The company identified a gap between the premium nature of its products and its flexible-bag packaging.
“Consumers were confirming that our product was high-quality, but the packaging didn’t reflect that attribute,” says Kathy Holstad, Tillamook Cheese senior brand manager.
The company responded with several actions. The most significant was the addition of an ergonomic double zipper from ZIP-PAK (www.zippak.com) on the bags. The DoubleZip™ zipper features two sets of interlocking profiles that guide fingers along a path when closing the package. The zipper’s construction is designed to assure that the bag closes completely and maintains product freshness. The dual zipper also enhances seal strength to prevent accidental package opening and product spillage.
