Packaging Budelpack has over forty years’ experience in the packaging industry, but recently the company actively got involved with the packaging of agricultural products. The first step was the development of an on-site packaging line able to pack fruit and vegetables. The process of getting acquainted with the packing of fresh produce led to innovative packaging for fruit, resulting in the 'baguette' and the pouch.
"We wanted to come up with a particularly useful innovation," says Peter Nieuwkerk. "The packaging should not only be fun, but also important in contributing to the packing of fruit and vegetables. There are few consumers who buy a product because the packaging is nice. Protecting the product was a significant starting point.”
Apple Baguette
The design process resulted in the 'baguette' package, developed for apples, but at a later stage also to be used for other fruits. The cardboard packaging offers more protection to the apple, as well as more communication space. "We had several ideas," says designer Aster Witteman, "but this particular design was chosen because of its natural look, the innovative design, the stacking ability of the packaging and the printing options."
The "baguette" provides protection to one or more apples, which are stored in separate compartments. The packaging is designed primarily for apples, because these fruits can be sorted by size. For a variety of sizes, the diameter of the package may be adjusted.
Pouch for fruit
Budelpack also coined pouches specifically for fruit, particularly small fruit. As an example, Peter mentions kiwis and mandarins. "The advantage of the pouch is that you can view the fruits from all sides. A dish won’t let you do that. In addition, the pouch offers more opportunities for communication. Mandarins often come in nets, offering only limited communication capabilities. In England, Tesco recently launched a pouch with kiwis, causing sales to increase by twelve percent.”
The Budelpack pouch is set to appear on the market this year.