The Dixon, IL-based Dean Foods subsidiary introduced the pouch last July, for its José brand. It markets two cheese flavors in the pouch to schools and universities, fast-food outlets, stadiums and hotels. Pouches are also sold to food processors as part of a meal “solution,” for home-meal replacement offerings, and to convenience stores.
Poucheze is filled aseptically on a twin-tube form/fill/seal pouching system from Enhance™ Packaging Technologies (Whitby, Ontario, Canada), a subsidiary of DuPont Canada. Shelf life is one year. The 3-mil film from Enhance includes a barrier layer of ethylene vinyl alcohol.
“Poucheze has been enthusiastically received so far,” says Jennifer Gusse, Amboy’s director of marketing. The main differences between the Poucheze package and its predecessor are graphics. A “tear here” printed instruction and a black line show users how to open the pack. This replaces a clear notch. “And there’s much more of a consumer-oriented design with this pack,” Gusse says, noting the colorful brand name on the front panel. The film is reportedly flexo-printed in six colors. Gusse credits the design to Johnson Marketing (Orland Park, IL). Amboy sells Poucheze in 175-count cases. (JB)