Specialty soup maker Bookbinder Specialties is introducing its new line of all-natural, gourmet gluten-free vegetable soups packaged in glass from Owens-Illinois.
"At Bookbinder Specialties, we are focused on providing the ultimate in quality and convenience for our consumers," says Sean O’Neil, Bookbinder president. “Glass offers superior protection for the delicate flavors of our soups and is 100-percent resealable, locking in the quality and taste customers expect and making it an excellent packaging choice for our products.”
Bookbinder’s soups have been a staple in the Philadelphia-based Old Original Bookbinder’s Restaurant since 1865. In the early 1970s, the restaurant created a foods division to share the original restaurant favorites as packaged foods sold throughout the U.S.
Bookbinder’s Gourmet Vegetable Soups are available in 15-oz glass containers in four flavors: Brandywine Mushroom, Butternut Squash and Mushroom, Sweet Burgundy Onion, and Zesty Tomato. They will be sold in natural and specialty food stores across the U.S.
Bookbinder conducted a series of consumer focus groups to determine consumer preferences in soup packaging. The findings demonstrated a consumer need for portion control and resealability, as many people do not consume the entire portion typically found in cans.
Says O’Neil, “For the soup category, the glass really stands out on the shelves. We have received a great response from those who have seen the product, as it is clearly differentiated from everything else in the soup aisle and allows consumers to actually see the product they are purchasing.”
Bookbinder was also attracted to other attributes of glass packaging, including the fact that it is made from all-natural materials and is virtually impermeable, nonporous, and odorless, allowing it to protect the purity, flavor, and taste of foods. In addition, glass will not interact with the product it contains and can help provide an extended shelf life.
