Drinking coffee is now more than ever an expression of lifestyle. There is a reason why 2.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed each day around the globe. Therefore, packaging expert Constantia Flexibles will showcase flexible packaging innovations for the coffee and food industry at the HOST 2017, from October 20 to 24 in Milan, Italy.
“To enjoy a good cup of coffee the packaging needs to be the right one. Producing packaging for coffee is a challenging task”, says Alexander Baumgartner, CEO of Constantia Flexibles. Coffee is one of the most widely traded commodities in the world. Its market and way of consumption have rapidly changed in the last five to six years – moving away from filter coffee to individualized portions and capsules systems. The main reasons are convenience and the growing number of single households as well as storage reasons. Furthermore, it became noticeable that a certain development towards smaller brands, higher-quality products, extraordinary labels and boutiques with retro charm is taking place. Hence there is a general demand for innovative packaging solutions.
Feel and taste good packaging
“Barrier properties need to be very good for coffee products, that applies to coffee beans as well as to ground coffee to protect them from moisture or heat. But the packaging should look and feel good too, in order to guarantee a delightful experience for all senses.” explains Baumgartner. To achieve this Constantia Flexibles developed a special printing technology for adding an extra nice touch and feel to the packaging.
Constantia Flexibles is constantly working on innovative packaging solutions which meet the needs of the customers as well as of the final consumer. Its portfolio of flexible packaging applications for coffee range from soft packs, single portion packs to hard vacuum pack and include also Constantia Innovations.
Flexible packaging applications for coffee
Soft packs are packed in flexible laminates fully printable, with excellent glossy properties and the same laminates are suitable to be used for coffee, coffee pods, instant coffee or coffee beans. ‘Gusseted Pouch’ stands out through its barrier properties provided by the Aluminium layer, andhas a special opaque (“matt”) lacquer to provide a natural aspect. In addition, it offers an easy- peel feature incorporated in the sealant layer. Mostly all soft packs are made of PET and PE, which assure perfect pack tightness even in presence of contaminants like particles or powder.
Single portion packs like coffee capsules or single-portion sachets fulfil the same requirements as soft packs with an additional focus on usability. Constantia Capsules can be embossed with any design and provide an excellent sealability, which guarantees tighten during handling and extraction in the coffee machine. The sachets can be opened easily with no undesired tearing of the packs, using laser scoring.
Constantia Flexibles also offers coffee capsule systems that are made entirely from aluminium – lid and body. This makes them fully recyclable and offers best barrier and aroma protection for full flavour coffee.
Hard vacuum packs like the Triplex Laminate are designed for packaging under vacuum of ground coffee or soluble coffee. The packaging can be sealed perfectly even in presence of contaminants. It provides a very high resistance to abuse during handling or transport.
Innovations: Less is more
Constantia CompresSeal is a film laminate with a micro-embossed sealing layer and a more sustainable and efficient solution that reduces the weight of PE and PP-sealants by up to 30 percent. Thickness and barrier properties stay the same.
Customized Shaped Pouch is a convenient and cost effective alternative for rigid packaging in case of packaging liquid coffee and other beverages. Depending on the final product and process, the material is specified to guarantee its shelf life and fulfil consumer requirements. It provides high barrier properties, is convenient, can be opened and reclosed easily, maintain the freshness of the coffee and even produces a lower CO2 footprint.
These are not the only forward-thinking packaging solutions by Constantia Flexibles, other innovations such as the pouch material from renewable resources, stick packs made of fully recyclable materials and much more will be presented to the visitors of the trade fair in Milan.
Constantia Flexibles at the HOST 2017
- Location: hall 14P / booth E05
- Meet the expert: Paolo Battiston, Senior Product Manager at Constantia Flexibles, will be present to answer your questions.
- Contact person for interview requests: Daniel Smith, Head of Group Communications, Constantia Flexibles, e-mail: daniel.smith@cflex.com
