The canister is topped with a Sealed-Safe® peelable foil membrane top and clear low-density polyethylene lid, all supplied by Sonoco (Hartsville, SC).
CK’s previous hot cocoa mix packaging consisted of a rectangular paperboard container with metal ends and a “penny-lever” top. The new cylindrical composite canister is made of two plies of spiral-wound paperboard and what CK calls a “poly liner laminate.”
“By switching to Sonoco containers we were able to add important features [including] a tamper-evident, peelable membrane top for our customers,” says Kim Reid, CK’s vice president.
“Because of the new seal, there is less moisture penetration so there is better product integrity and greater shelf life,” adds Peter Reid, the company’s president. Shelf life was improved by nine months, to two years.
A four-color, flexo-printed label presents a storefront scene, mimicking the graphics found on secondary packaging. Four flavors of Coco Caffe are being sold together in a gift box made of 24-pt paperboard. “The new container and cylinder shape also make the packaging process more efficient,” says Peter Reid. “There is less manual work, which is saving 25 percent of production time.” The Coco Caffe four-pack can be found at Wal-Mart and specialty stores throughout the U.S. and Canada for $9.99. —ES
