By creating a microwaveable printing solution for the packaging of a trio of brand new, on-the-go porridge pots, Colpac, one of the UK’s leading designers and manufacturers of food packaging solutions, has assisted Yorkshire Provender in getting their innovative product range onto the shelves of Waitrose and Sainsbury’s.
In its first retail foray outside of chilled soup, Yorkshire Provender launched the porridge pots to cater to the growing demand for fresh on-the-go breakfasts at the start of 2017. Available in three different flavours, the company were looking for a packaging solution for the pots which would not only provide shelf appeal, but meet re-heating safety standards.
Faced with a tight deadline to meet retail demand, Yorkshire Provender turned to Colpac to create a sleeve solution which would wrap around the fresh porridge pots. Colpac’s design team not only chose a material that was suitable for use in the microwave but one that was also recyclable. The solution needed to offer maximum print area to include Yorkshire Provender’s vibrant hand-written branding, and be brightly coloured for shelf impact.
A key requirement for food-on-the-go is ease of use, and the porridge pots can be put straight into a microwave to be heated up, in just three minutes. However, this quick solution could be detrimental if the right materials are not used, as Colpac’s Key Account Manager, John Clark explains: “In order to stand out on the shelf companies are seeking bright designs on their products. However, it is essential that the ink used is microwaveable, so Colpac used inks and coatings formulated with heat resistant pigments meeting EuPIA (European Printing Ink Association) guidelines”.
In addition to being able to offer the microwaveable safe print, Yorkshire Provender also required a shorter print run. “When launching a new product many retailers will only stock a minimum introductory amount, so manufacturers could be left with a surplus,” explains John. “As all of Colpac’s design and print capabilities are on one manufacturing site, we have the ability to manage smaller production runs, and one-off productions of custom designed packaging to provide a quick and cost-effective service for our customers.”
Colpac designed and produced the entire run for Yorkshire Provender in just four weeks, meeting the retail launch. “We were delighted with Colpac’s solution and the speed in which they were able to turn it around to meet our retail deadline.” Comments Yorkshire Provender’s Sales & Marketing Manager, Maria Townsend. “The final look was fantastic, and in great keeping with our company’s home-made image.”
