Wolfgang Candy launched its new sweet dark chocolate covered blueberries and raspberries in June 2005. Wolfgang Candy needed a packaging film that is representative of the candy and also provides cushioning to protect the berries from being crushed and damaged. The company chose H&N Packaging Inc. and partner company Multifilm Packaging Corp.
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Wolfgang’s manufacturing method ensures that the chocolate covered fruit is full of antioxidants and nutrients found in both the dark chocolate and fresh berries and improves the shelf life. The confection uses fresh fruit as the main ingredient and has a shelf life of up to one year. Packaging for this Wolfgang product was an important factor in its promotion, distribution and shelf life.
Two-stage packaging solution
H&N Packaging/Multifilm Supplies developed a two-stage packaging solution, which retains the goodness of the Wolfgang Candy and protects it from being crushed in the supply chain.
The primary stage involves each fruit/candy piece being separately wrapped and packaged in SuperSeal, a proprietary high-speed film wrap material from Multifilm Packaging. Wolfgang found that SuperSeal provides the barrier, hot tack and seal integrity needed for the berries. Wolfgang opted for the metallised film to provide additional barrier. The hermetic seals create airtight pillows that the Wolfgang Candy product needs to cushion and protect the berries inside the bag.
The secondary package is a stand-up pouch that is rotogravure printed by H&N and has a cast polypropylene (CPP) sealant web supplied by Multifilm. The company claims this is an innovation in the flexible packaging industry that retains the freshness of the product.
The pouch features an image of the berries and a clear window that displays the individually wrapped chocolate covered berries.
It has a polyester film laminated to Multifilm’s CPP, which gives it transparency and also provides a water barrier to the package.
SuperSeal film wrap material
Wolfgang Candy was able to leverage Multifilm’s extrusion, metallising, printing and lamination capabilities to serve its flexible packaging needs.
Since the process is controlled at every step Wolfgang Candy was able to procure a good product at a lower price. The packaging film gauge is automatically adjusted in the die, giving the final product extremely high tolerances and quality. Wolfgang was able to use a lower gauge of packaging film for its product without compromising its properties.
The Multifilm flow wraps are tailored for the confectionery market. SuperSeal, a sophisticated laminate, has good barrier properties, can hot seal hermetically – since the seal layer is six times thicker than oriented polypropylene(OPP) – and has excellent seal integrity. Wolfgang chose to utilise the reverse printing and metallising capabilities of SuperSeal for an elegant look. Wolfgang Candy realised that the metallised film adds an economical and ecological barrier to its bag films and a brilliant shine to its piece-wrapped candy.
The SuperSeal has a low seal initiation temperature and good hot tack so that the film can be processed on high-speed flow wrappers with a production capacity of 2,000 pieces per minute.
Wolfgang Candy stand-up pouches
Wolfgang’s secondary packaging – the stand-up pouches from H&N – is an economical and ecological way to package and display the products. The company’s choice of stand-up pouch incorporates a polyester film laminated to Multifilm’s CPP. The lamination uses either water based or solvent free adhesive systems and provides clarity and an additional water barrier to the package. Wolfgang realised the advantage of choosing the stand-up pouch, as it doesn’t require an outer carton or box, which translates to less material, lower packaging cost and less waste. The stand-up pouches for sweet dark chocolate covered blueberries and raspberries were rotogravure printed for branding and retail visual appeal.
Benefits to the US confectionary company
Wolfgang Candy’s two-stage packaging solution for its sweet dark chocolate covered blueberries and raspberries are individually packed in the high-speed flow wrap that provides high barrier, hot tack, and good seal integrity. The CPP in the SuperSeal laminate provides excellent barrier and metallising the film provides additional barrier to protect the fruit-based candy. The hermetic seals create the airtight pillows that the product needs to cushion the berries inside the bag from being crushed.
To achieve the impact needed for the outer bag, Wolfgang opted for the rotogravure printed stand-up pouch. The pouch communicates the freshness of the product, it has a window that shows the individually wrapped dark chocolate covered berries inside and polyester film laminate adds clarity and an additional water barrier. And because of the CPP’s stiffness, Wolfgang was able to down-gauge the bag without compromising on the properties. The stand-up pouches are flexible and can either stand up on the shelf or hang on a pegboard at the retail end.
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