To say we have been as busy as a beaver on the new product front for quality food packaging, would be the understatement of the year.  By my count we launched 50 brand new sku’s just since January.  That includes two comletely new substrates (material used to make our products), three new  product lines and one new category which is single-use cutlery.  Yes, I’d say that qualifies as busy.

Here’s a recap of the lines and products we have launched so far…

Supermarket Containers - clear APET containers produced from 50% post consumer recycled content which are perfect for salsa and other dips, cut fresh and dried fruit, cut vegetables, gourmet candies, wet salads, olives along with other produce, just to name a few. 

Harvest Fiber - which is a full line of  BPI certified, 100% compostable, foodservice products.  What sets our line apart from the field is our quality, which has always been a trademark of Genpak.  Our hinged food containers are easy to close and stay closed unlike the flimsy containers floating around from our competition, which when trying to close is something akin to threading a needle.  It’s all in the design which is our patented, classic Genpak Snap-It closure system.  All our Harvest Fiber food service packaging is grease and moisture resistant, 100% natural and as stated previously, BPI certified.  That point is important to talk about.  Many companies make wild claims of compostability, but unless those claims are backed by an independent 3rd party, they are just empty words.  Do your homework.  Ask for proof!

Harvest Starch - is our line of foodservice plates, bowls, hinged containers and cutlery produced from an environmentally enhanced, hybrid resin that reduces the amount of non-renewable sourced material by 60%!  These products fit the bill for those foodservice operators who want a “greener” option, but still want the look and feel of high-end, traditional plastic products. 

95516 – This is an over-cap lid for our single service size oven ready food trays.  Initially, the two food trays this lid accommodates were designed for film seal applications.  However, our customers wanted more flexibility with these trays.  Yes, we do listen to our customers (a trait most of our competitors lack) and react to those needs.  The result was completely new markets for these products to service.  Namely, catered school lunch programs, high end restaurant “doggie bags” and supermarket buffet line containers for foods going into the microwave.  So for that, thank you.

Smart Set Pro expansion – we introduced a new two compartment rectangular microwave safe food container and a matching lid.  The really cool feature of our microwave safe food containers is the unique “textured” finish of the base.  The special way we manufacture these products allow us to reduce the part weight but up to 20% versus the heavy, clunky microwave products of our competition.  In many circles that is considered a source reduction initiative worth talking about.  Of course, with a lower part weight comes a lower price point which is nice too.

Corn Tray – Just in time for the summer sweet corn season, we have  introduced our TR04 PC “corn tray”.  This item is not only good for corn but be perfect for pre-made for shish kabob.

That certainly is a pretty busy first 6 months.  Our goal is, and always has been to be the premier packaging supplier for foodservice industry.  Quality product and quality service.

Sorry I missed last month’s Product Spotlight. I could lie and say I was traveling or buried in work or something along those lines, but the truth of the matter was I was on vacation and never got to it. Anyway, before we talk about this months spotlight, I need to vent about something so bare with me.

What ever happened to value? It is fast disappearing everywhere you look. Your dollar’s buying power is steadily going down hill. Look at flights. The ticket price used to include things like your luggage a beverage and a bad sandwich on the longer flights. Now it only includes half a soda (no ice) and a bag with 4 pretzels in it. And that bad sandwich, well that’s extra now. Yes I get the fact that the airline industry is in trouble, but you’d think with the cuts being made, they’d make it up elsewhere. Maybe I’m missing it but it seem like every flight is overbooked and there are fewer and fewer personnel to answer questions making taking a flight as pleasant as having your gums scrapped.

It seems the single use foodservice packaging market is not immune to this devaluation process. Over the last several weeks we’ve seen some of our competition take the tactic of simply removing part weight from a product in a race to the gutter on pricing. At first glance this lower price may seem attractive to some operators, but what’s really happening is the products are being made thinner, lighter and cheaper and subsequently less valuable to you and your most valuable customers. The first time a foodservice operator gets a cleaning bill because a take out container has broken apart on the trip home will not only negate any savings, but more importantly will have caused the loss of a customer.

So, all you retaurant owners and foodservice operators out there, I submit to you, when you get that hot deal from a Genpak look alike, make sure it’s an apples to apples comparison and not a container that’s half the weight and subsequently half the strength. You may save a couple pennies up front, but a lost customer will cost you more to get back.

I feel better now. Tell you what, when writing this Product Spotlight piece, I’ll write “value” in parenthesis every time we cover something that’s a value added feature Genpak offers.   

Let’s talk about dinnerware. It’s something most everybody uses every single day of the year. If you sit down to eat, chances are pretty good your food will be in a bowl, plate or platter of some sort. Many fast casual and quick service restaurants use single use dinnerware items to serve their fare which is where Genpak comes into the picture. 

All toll, we have 83 different items across 4 different substrates (that’s a fancy way of saying material). It is safe to say, if you can’t find the dinnerware item you are looking for with us, then we haven’t invented it yet.

With so many options, you may think it can get confusing when choosing the right item for your application. Not to worry. It really comes down to three choices. Do you want a light, medium or heavy weight part? That’s pretty much it.

Our Celebrity plate and bowl products would fall into the light or economy option. Produced from foamed polystyrene, these products are generally used for lighter fare food items such as sandwiches, wraps, burgers & fries and most breakfast items to name a few. Our Celebrity line has become very popular in the hotel industry to serve their continental breakfast menu items on. Because our products are designed so well, I’ve seen them used with other, heavier food items such as Asian meals. If you are unsure, you can always ask us for some free samples (value) to do your own testing. 

Our Elite line would be considered a medium weight offering. These items are the same as the Celebrity products, but produced with a laminated, foamed polystyrene material. This layer of lamination on the top or usable surface offers extra strength and a cut resistance feature. Pretty much any menu item can be served on our Elite foodservice dinnerware items (value) making it extremely versatile and probably the most popular of our lines. Elite products are offered in either white or black to match your particular motif.

Our new S4 line is also made from a laminated material but instead of a traditional round configuration, we developed a contemporary, square geometry to offer a very up scale appearance, but at an economy price point (value), which is something that has our competition scrambling. I won’t go into great detail on this one since we covered the line on a previous Product Spotlight which I’m sure, you’ve all read and put to memory.

Our Sihouette and Aristocrat plastic dinnerware plate and bowl lines would be considered heavy duty products. These are both made with solid polystyrene plastic and can hold any menu item imaginable. Many times you’ll see these types of dinnerware products used by catering companies and fast casual restaurants for their dine in service. 

We also offer single use dinnerware items produced from annually renewable resources, that are also BPI certified compostable. I’m talking, of course about our Harvest Collection line.  These products look and feel like our traditional plastic products, but have the added benefit of being made from plants (value).

I was going to include our Specialty Bowls and Smart Set serving platters, but I see now that I’ve rambled on for too long and you are probably getting tired. We’ll save those for another time, but I would be remiss if I did not mention our clear lids that accompany those dinnerware lines just discussed. Especially since we are just now introducing most lids with an anti-fog feature at no additional charge (value). When is the last time a company added a new feature or upgrade and didn’t want an up charge? Well you still may have to pay if you want that really bad airline sandwich, but we’ll keep doing everything we can to make your single use foodservice spending dollar stronger than ever before.

Can’t remember where I heard the phrase “if less is more than there’s no end to me”.  Had to be from some movie somewhere.  Anyway, that’s the phrase that comes to mind when thinking about our Smart Set Pro microwave safe containers and lids which is the subject of the July Product Spotlight.  Now I know most of my rabid fans (mother and spouse) have been anxiously waiting for the latest post here so let me not keep them waiting any longer.

The reason that “less is more” quote comes to mind is because our Smart Set Pro products are produced using our own unique, textured, microwave safe material that enables us to make these containers up to 24% lighter than most of the competitive products found today.  That feature of course translates to a lower price for our customers and who couldn’t use a price break today?  It is not very often that a value added item can be offered at reduced price levels but that’s exactly what you get with Smart Set Pro products.

One point must be made very clear here.  Even though our parts are lighter in weight, there is absolutely no sacrifice in product performance.  None at all.  That’s the feature that is really giving our competition fits.  It would be easy for them to say, ahh it’s lighter and therefore it won’t hold up to your application.  But that is simply not the case here.  Asian foods, Italian dishes, soups & sides and American fare are just some of the food applications our customers have utilized with our Smart Set Pro containers.  Many restaurants and foodservice establishments have also used these containers for “doggie bag” applications.  This allows their customers to very easily pop it right into their home microwave for leftover night without the need to dirty other dishes.  Believe me, consumers like convenience, and it doesn’t get much better than that.  These containers are top shelf dishwasher safe as well, so consumers could even use them for their own home leftovers.  In today’s economy, consumers look for any value they can find.  If someone could reuse their “doggie bag” container for their own personal use, they’ll do it.  Plus this “reuse” feature helps strengthen customer loyalty at that feeding establishment.  Customer retention and repeat business is the holy grail for most restaurants.  Keep ‘em coming back for more.

Another neat feature of our textured finish is that it makes the containers cooler to the touch versus standard microwave safe products.  We all know what it feels like to grab something out of the microwave after it’s been heated up.  Now I’m not saying that the Smart Set Pro containers won’t be hot after microwave use.  What I am saying is they won’t be as hot as conventional microwave safe parts because they don’t transfer heat as quickly.  A side benefit of this lower heat transfer is that food will stay hot a bit longer in our containers.  In take home applications, that translates to less food waste and spoilage.

There is also a green story to tell here too (other than the reusable feature stated earlier).  That story is source reductions.  Source reduction is the process of using less material to make the same parts.  In the case of Smart Set Pro, we were able to utilize our unique, microwave safe, textured material along with a quality engineered design to achieve a lower part weight without any loss of quality.  To date, since our launch of this exciting new line, we have saved over 2.3 million pounds of virgin raw materials!  Not too shabby when you think about it.  (Hook!  That was the movie where that less is more line was used.  That would have bugged me all day.)

To recap then, our Smart Set Pro line of microwave safe containers and lids are:

•  less expensive
• use less raw material
• are reusable
• are recyclable (where #5 items are accepted)
• offer multiple application uses

I’m sold.  Contact us today to order a free sample kit of Smart Set Pro containers and lids.  See you next month.