PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY MATT REYNOLDS |
EDITOR, PACKAGING WORLD
Multi-Component Package for DIY Berry Yogurt Parfaits With an existing 4-oz Chobani yogurt pack format as a starting point, berry parfait product collaborator Naturipe worked backward and reverse-engineered an optimized PET cup and closure that nests components and seals them into a single package system.
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ATURIPE IS A FARMER-OWNED grower and marketer of premium berries that, for more than 100 years, has been producing fresh, frozen, and value-added berry products. Because Naturipe’s growers share with each other valuable resources, skills, labor, and knowledge, they improve themselves as farmers and, in turn, strengthen the local farming community. This past summer, the company launched its new Berry Parfait line of on-the-go snack packs, featuring Chobani Yogurt, Naturipe fresh berries, and film-wrapped granola, all within two nested cups that are sealed by a PET film closure. Each of the constituent ingredients is kept separate and uncompromised in-pack until the consumer decides to combine them. “We’ve been trying to do something like this; it has been on our wish list for a long time. But we really wanted to offer something that set itself apart from the products that are currently out there,” says Janis McIntosh, director of marketing innovation and sustainability at Naturipe. “One thing that slowed us down was that we were initially trying to utilize packaging formats that we already had. We kept asking ourselves, ‘Rather than reinventing the wheel, is there something already in our packaging landscape that we’re already using that we could repurpose for a parfait?’ Finally, we realized that this was going to have to be a whole new design.” The decision to break from existing packaging freed decision-makers to seek exactly what they wanted rather than make do with leftovers. They wanted something nice and clean that would clearly demonstrate that Naturipe had partnered with Chobani—a brand that people recognize, trust, and like. They wanted a pack that would broadcast to
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PHOTO COURTESY OF NATURIPE s
A clear, lidded PET cup lets the two stars of the show shine through on a shelf: fresh berries and Chobani brand yogurt.
consumers that there would be high-quality yogurt, as well as fresh berries, in each parfait. “We knew that we had a win-win with our partners at Chobani,” McIntosh says. “They’d never done anything like this either; a fresh produce project like this was unique for them.” But just because Naturipe had determined to start fresh with a new pack design didn’t mean that Chobani had to. “We wanted to do something unique and different, but we didn’t want them to have to start from scratch on their side. So, the easiest thing was to ask them, ‘What do you have that we can take advantage of for this important project?’” Chobani was already producing a 4-oz traditional format polypropylene yogurt cup with a sealed foil closure that had originally been designed for airline foodservice situations. The 4-oz size would be workable as a starting point to build around. The Chobani pack was also in a prime position for important factors like calorie content and price point. “Both Chobani and Naturipe are all about health, and we’re always innovating around healthy snacks that hit a certain level of calories and nutrients,” McIntosh says. “This 4-oz Chobani cup was perfect for us because we knew we were going to be pairing it with granola and berries, both of which are bringing some calories of their own to the table.”
| April 2022 | www.profoodworld.com
3/29/22 10:29 AM
