Archive for the ‘Product Spotlight’ Category

Food Packaging Goes Hollywood

January 13th, 2012

The other evening I was watching a little TV and noticed one of our foam hinged take out containers being used during one of the scenes.  I knew it was a Genpak foam hinged container because I’ve worked here long enough to recognize our stuff at a quick glance.  Drives my wife nutty when we are out and I spot a Genpak item.  I’m driven to tell her the item code by the same instinctual drive that makes salmon swim upstream to their place of birth to mate.  But I digress.  Anyway, I thought it would be fun to spend a few minutes to try an find actual shots of our stuff being used in TV.  Here’s what I came up with.

The Big Bang Theory has quickly become one of my favorite shows.  Here we see Sheldon and Leonard during one of the many meal scenes with our BLK10 and what looks to be our 20500.  If you look really close at the inset picture in the lower right, you can see our signature mustache design which is the give away here.

Since there are often take-out meal scenes in this show, it was easy to find several.  Here is another scene where our SN203 large hinged container is being used.

 Moving on, this one is my favorites as you can even see the embossing decoration we do.  The Have A Nice Day is one of our more popular stock embossed jobs.  Here it looks to be our SN223 sesame container.  There’s also a 21900 hinged container on the table.

This one is from the same episode.  I included it because I thought it was funny that they are actually using this container upside down.  They placed the food in the lid.  That big empty part of the 20500 is actually where the food is supposed to go.  I guess they probably don’t actually use real take out food as most restaurants would know where the food is supposed to go.  Oh well, we’ll give them a pass this time I suppose.

Switching away from this show, I remembered an episode of Seinfeld where one of our plates was in a shot.  It was the episode where George tries to mix his lovin’ with food and television.  Here we see George in action while reaching for a pastrami (the most sensual of the cured meats) served on a 71000.

Our stuff is seen regularly on the Food Network as well.   Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives is one where we show up often.  This was taken from a show focusing on Greek Gyros.  The plate here is our LAM10.

I’ve also seen our stuff being used in movies as well.  One I recall was Million Dollar Baby.   The scene was where Clint’s character was bringing in lunch to Morgan Freeman’s character.  For the life of me I could find any images to post though.  The point here is take-out food packaging is part of the fabric of everyday life.  So much so we see it in TV shows and movies that portray regular folks going about their business.  We rely on it to keep our food fresh, safe and secure.

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Drink Cups

July 25th, 2011

Oh sure, everybody already knows Genpak has been the leader in foodservice packaging for over 40 years now. After all, back in 1969 we invented the hinged take-out container and went on to developed the first vented take-out container and were the first to offer embossed & decorated food packaging. Since that humble beginning we have expanded our food packaging to include all manner of dinnerware items, deli containers, microwave safe packaging, meat/supermarket trays, oven ready bakery & food trays, flexible packaging and most recently BPI certified compostable & hybrid food packaging.    But what you may not know is, we have been slowing but surely, making some serious noise in the world of cold drink cups.

A while back we made an acquisition of a company that produced cold drink cups. With that we’ve been making considerable upgrades and improvements to the facility which now produces a very wide variety of superior quality cold drink cups. Also, we’ve recently made a substrate switch and now produce our Crystal Choice clear drink cups using environmentally preferable PET that includes up to 10% post consumer recycled content!  As I’ve said before, #1 recyclable material and post consumer recycled content is a winning combination that our customers appreciate. We also produce a complete line of translucent cups in our Valueware brand along with a series of white cruiser cups.

Now, we know there are many choices out there for cold drink cups but what makes working with Genpak so much better than the field is our minimums. We have the lowest minimums when it comes to ordering compared to anybody else out there and that includes our print minimums too which are as low as just 50 cases! I challenge you to find that anywhere else. And speaking of printing, our quality is unmatched as we utilize only state-of-the-art printing methods and equipment. We can spot print up to 5 colors to help promote your brand or particular message.

Our unwavering goal has always been to be your number one source for superior quality food packaging. As we talked about earlier, we’ve got the food packaging part covered and will continue to expand in that regard. The inclusion of cold drink cups was only a natural progression toward our goal and you can bet we’ll continue to invest to make Genpak cups the cup of choice. And since it’s been a while that your ol buddy Ken has posted anything, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Very soon we’ll be making superior quality polypropylene cups to compliment our line. Like I said, it’s not in our nature to do what many other companies do which is hit the cruise control button. We will continue to explore and expand into markets and products that our customer’s expect us to.

Be sure to check out these cups along with all our food packaging options. We can even send you a free sample kit of cups to preview. Just drop us a line and we’ll get on it.

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Clear Hinged Deli Containers

March 18th, 2011

We are very pleased to announce that for another year, our line of Clear Hinged Deli Containers will be an endorsed product by the Green Restaurant Association. For those of you who don’t know them, the GRA is a non-Green Restaurant Association Endorsementprofit organization that helps restaurant operators, manufacturers, distributors and consumers to become more environmentally aware. They offer certification programs for restaurants and will endorse products, such as our Deli’s, that meet their very high standards. We support their efforts and thank them for their endorsement.

In other news we had a very successful Catersource show earlier this month in Las Vegas. The booth traffic was steady with highly energetic Caterer’s looking for ways to reduce their costs and increase their dinnerwarecustomer loyalty. The most requested and sought after line we presented was our S4 Dinnerware line. The show attendees liked the upscale appearance our classic black laminated material provided. Most any food looks great when presented in a black plate, platter or bowl.  They also really liked the progressive “square” design of the S4 product. Also, although not every Caterer was looking for them, some like that we offered crystal clear lids for each of our S4 products. Without question though, I think it was the economics that hit home the most. Our S4 products are much less expensive than the injection molded, solid plastic products they were used to. Some sited it would be less expensive by a significant amount. 

So the good news is we made a bunch of Caterer’s day with a great product at a great price. The bad news was I lost $250 at the tables, so I won’t be able to quit my day job which means more blogs for you to enjoy.

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Top Ten of 2010

December 30th, 2010

As we draw to a close for 2010 here at Genpak, I figured a top 10 list might be in order. There certainly are many topics to choose from both inside and outside our company. Who knew the food service industry could be such a hot bed of topics? From silly governmental bans to block-buster acquisitions, it’s tough to pick a top ten. Since there were so many juicy headlines to choose from, I’ll break this out into two categories. Top ten news stories outside Genpak and the top ten within Genpak.

First our own stories:

10. Broke 500 followers on our Twitter account. It’s not an Oprah-like following, but then again food packaging isn’t as exciting as the latest muckitymuck gossip.

9. Launched the TR04PC “corn” tray.

8. Expanded our Smart Set Pro microwave safe offering. We now offer compartmentalized rectangular and round microwave safe food packaging.

7. Launced the fast growing Supermarket Container line of clear food packaging. This particular configuration has become the “must have” for dip companies as well as dried fruit and nut processors.

6. Our ever popular line of AD Deli Containers became endorsed by the Green Restaurant Association. Our industry leading use of post consumer recycled material was a major contributing factor with this endorsement.

5. Introduced a hybrid line of food service packaging with our Harvest Starch offering. We replaced 60% of the standard petrochemical resin with natural, annually renewable starches.

4. Introduced cutlery for the first time into our every growing family of products. As part of our Harvest Starch line, we included forks, knives and spoons. Many environmental cutlery offerings out there just sort of melted with hot food/drink applications. Ours won’t!

3. Acquired Dover Cup Company. With this move, we have become a major player of hot and cold paper drink cups and food containers in Eastern Canada.

2. Launched a line of PET cold drink cups. With this substrate, customers can now recycle our cups where #1 curb side programs exist. It also allows us to start including post consumer recycled content into our cups.

1. Launched Harvest Fiber which is a 100% natural and BPI certified compostable line of foodservice products. Genpak was the first major food service packaging provider to launch a full line of compostable food packaging products with our Harvest Collection nearly two years ago. Since that time we have upgraded, added products and moved into a fiber substrate offering which gives our customers many more options. Harvest Fiber is fast becoming known as the gold standard for compostable products with its superior engineering and product functionality. Who says a fiber product can’t be loaded with quality?

In total we launched 65 new products in 2010. That doesn’t include improvements and upgrades to existing items, which there were plenty of. I’m expecting 2011 to be just as fast on the product front. Stay tuned as you just might be surprised what’s in store!

And now my top 10 list from outside Genpak.

10. The number of active restaurants fell by over 5,000 in 2010. I guess that stimulus package really didn’t apply to our friends in the restaurant biz.

9. Pactiv acquired PWP for a cool $200MM. And the number of suppliers for clear food packaging just got smaller by 1. For those folks buying from PWP because they didn’t like Pactiv, we invite you to review our huge selection of clear hinged & two piece bakery products. Don’t see what you need? No problem, just give us a call as we specialize in custom packaging solutions.

8. Walmart vows to decrease it’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20 metric tons by 2015. Translation – suppliers better figure out how to cut emissions PDQ.

7. The city of Seattle forces all foodservice operators, including supermarkets to find compostable alternatives for all single use items by July 1st. I’ll bet a pound of ground beef in Seattle just went up by 10%.

6. Breakfast on the go hits $57B in sales and accounts for nearly a quarter of sales for some eateries. As a side note, the breakfast sandwich reins supreme for the most ordered item.

5. The degradable plastics market will hit $380MM by 2014. Green packaging is here to stay.

4. Solo Cup purchases InnoWare for $24MM.

3. San Francisco proposes a ban on toys in kids meals to combat childhood obesity. Probably the most silly of the “government in your face” bans of them all.

2. The FTC announces their proposed new Green Marketing guide for environmental claims. Forget sleeping aids. Just start reading this gem and you’ll be out like a light.

1. Pactiv is acquired by Rank Group LTD (Reynold’s) for an easy $6B. The bakery packaging supplier choices continues to shrink. Fear not as we have the absolute biggest selection of bakery products imaginable!

Well there you have it. The official top ten lists as determined by your humble blogster. I look forward to more posts in 2011. Until then, Happy New Year!

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New Compostable Chip Bag

November 2nd, 2010

Sure, you’ve always know Genpak as the place for quality rigid food packaging solutions. And you’ve known us for our cutting edge product developments on that front as well. Our BPI Certified compostable Harvest Fiber line of dinnerware and hinged containers are a huge hit with restaurants, colleges and foodservice operations looking for alternative packaging. And our Green Restaurant Association endorsed Clear Hinged Deli line along with our Harvest Starch & Smart Set Pro lines have also been successful with customers looking to stay within the 3R’s approach for food packaging which is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. (okay that was the blatant commercial lead in to the main point)

But you may not have know we also have a flexible packaging side as well. We produce square bottom bags, window bags and zipper bags for many industries including bakery, retail, pet food and food processing. Since it’s us and you’ve come to expect big things, we are very happy to announce a major breakthrough in compostable bag technology. Working in conjunction with our friends at Innovia Films we have helped to develop the Boulder Canyon Foods compostable chip bag! Click here for Innovia’s press release on this exciting new material. Long story short, it’s a compostable substrate that does the job and won’t make you go deaf. For those of you who don’t get the “deaf” joke, Sun Chip has recently pulled their compostable bag because it was deemed as too noisy by consumers. If that really is the reason, this tells us that consumers want a transparent transition from traditional to alternative substrate choices. Or, at the very least, they want as little noticeable changes as possible. Some consumers went as far as creating a Facebook page called “I can’t hear you over the Sun Chip bag”. Others posted You Tube vidoes going on about the noisy bags. Some of them were actully pretty funny.

I think the main lesson that should be taken away from this though, is that the consumer rules roost (as it should be). If they don’t like it, they won’t buy it.  Period, end of story. And they may even take their dislike of a product to the cyber streets as is the case with Sun Chips. Check it out on You Tube. Just type in Sun Chips Bag. There are pages upon pages of videos basically griping about how loud that bag was.

For our part, we here you consumers…loud and clear (over the bag). Hey we’ve taken our lumps too. That Harvest Fiber line I plugged earlier is actually our second generation of Harvest products. The first line was okay, but it didn’t really hold up to hot food applications. We did have sales to some niche markets where hot food wasn’t on the menu, but wholesale acceptance was never obtained. So we went back to the drawing board and Harvest Fiber was born. Microwave safe, hot foods, cold foods and still compostable. I’m sure it won’t be too long though and there will be more new materials that will be even better to use. One thing is certain. We’ll be leading that charge to keep our loyal customers and soon to be customers up to date with the very latest options.

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New Food Packaging Products

October 25th, 2010

Sorry it has been so long since my last posting. I recently went to a biopolymer symposium in Denver and was going to write about that, but every time I started to type I’d get sleepy and drift off to my happy place which is a place where the beer flows like wine and beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. Okay I ripped that off from a movie. Name it and win 10 points. Anyway, I did learn that listening to chemists and biologists for 20 hours will make you a little punchy, especially at a mile high. All kidding aside, these folks are working on some very cool technologies that will propel us into the next generation of biopolymers that will be produced from such things as corn stalks & leaves along with other annually renewable, non agricultural sources. It’s my guess that in 5 years time, there will be affordable alternatives for virtually every petro based plastic resin out there.

And speaking of bio-based products, Harvest Fiber fans rejoice! By mid November we’ll be launching several new compostable food packaging products. In keeping with the tradition of adding proven Genpak designs to our fiber line, we’ll be borrowing from our very popular S4 Dinnerware design. Our new 10″ plate, 11″ platter and 20 ounce bowl will all sport the progressive and highly functional square design of our S4 line. The really compostable food packaging good news here is in each instance, the corresponding S4 clear lid will work perfectly well. This opens a whole new range of applications that can now include carry-out as well as dine-in for busy food service operators. Now don’t go thinking that the clear lids make this product offering less green. Keep in mind that we use up to 40% post consumer recycled content in every clear lid we manufacture and #1 PET is still the most recycled plastic material out there. We’ll also be offering a new 6″ snack plate in the traditional geometric configuration to help round out (pun intended) the dinnerware offering.

Also this month we have launched new products in our microwave safe Smart Set Pro line. The FP348 is our new large, three compartment container microwave safe container that is perfect for meals to go that need to spend time under the intense heat of warming stations. Many restaurants that have embraced meals to go need to stage their product in these warming stations while they wait for the consumer to arrive. The heat these lamps produce can do a number on many packaging options, but the FP348 will hold up like a champ. Our standard FP948 is the lid of choice for this new package.

Also new to the Smart Set Pro line are the FP008 and FP012. These smaller to go containersprofile containers are the perfect size for the booming breakfast on the go segment. It seems every major chain has introduced some sort of breakfast menu item as of late and these two new packaging options will fit that bill with ease. Eggs, oatmeal, pancakes…you name the food and it will work.

Last but certainly not least on the new product front are two new oven ready food tray options. The 55216 and 55337 are items that may be used in any school lunch program as well catering events, deli counters and any frozenoven ready food trays food application. Both are produced from #1 recyclable, oven ready PET and will also work well in automated fill lines as well as accept film seals. Our oven ready PET material is good in the oven up to 400° F and may be frozen to -20° F. See our safe handling guide for complete instructions.

Well, that’s a lot of new products to digest. From compostable food packaging to microwave safe food packaging to oven ready food packaging. Our goal is a simple one. To offer only the best in design and functionality to keep our customers competitive. If you would like to receive a free sample kit of these new items, or any of our products, just drop us a line and let us know how we may help you out.

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IBIE 2010!

October 4th, 2010

To all who joined us in Las Vegas, September 26th – 29th at the International Baking Industry Exposition 2010 (IBIE), THANK YOU!!! Genpak was extremely delighted to greet you at Booth 2007!

To all who could not be there, we missed you!!!

Our Oven Ready Trays & Lids (including examples of our custom capabilities), Deli & Supermarket Containers, Flexible Packaging, Crystal Choice, Clear (PET) Drink Cups, Harvest Fiber & Tamper Evident prototype (utilizing our unique welded technology) were on display.

bakery containers
(Pictured to the left: Our Oven Ready Bakery Trays and Supermarket Containers, working in conjunction to offer cupcakes!!! )

Contact Us to request a Product Catalog and complimentary package containing samples of interest!

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It’s been busy so far…

July 19th, 2010

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 completely 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 trayCorn 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.

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NRA Show

May 19th, 2010

Every time I tell someone who is not in the foodservice business, that we are displaying at the NRA show, I have to tell them, no we don’t make rifles, we make plates.  NRA stands for National Restaurant Association, and their show is the biggest of its kind. The show, as usual, is in Chicago and it starts this weekend. We’ll be there at booth 415. 

When you do stop by, tell the Genpakers at the booth you heard about it on the Genpak blog and ask to sign up to win the iPod Touch we are giving away. 

What you’ll see at our booth is:

It’s all state-of-the-art, cutting edge food packaging on display.  What better way to spend your weekend?  Stroll around the show, stop by the Genpak booth and if you are luck and have connections, go watch the Blackhawks attempt to get into the Stanley Cup finals. 

See you there.

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Product Spotlight – March

March 2nd, 2010

March.  Now here’s a green month if I ever saw one.  Of course there is  March Madness where I typically loose around 50 green backs in the office pool.  St. Patrick’s Day is good for several pints of my favorite green lager.  And let’s not forget that Dr. Seuss was born in the month of March.  What’s green about that?  Hello, Green Eggs and Ham!  One other thing is that Uranus was discovered in March.  No there’s nothing green about that.  I just wanted to type Uranus (insert your own crude joke here).

Now that you are thinking green (those of you still on Uranus can come back to us now) let’s talk about our Deli containers.  Crystal clear yes, but green non the less.  I read somewhere that people like bullet points, so instead of a paragraph of info, here’s the bullet point version:

  • Made from APET which is #1 curbside recyclable
  • Made using up to 50% post consumer recycled content
  • And now is endorsed by the Green Restaurant Association

That’s right, our deli line is now endorsed by the GRA!  If you know the GRA you’ll know they only endorse products that meet there very strictGRA Endorsed logo standards and guidelines.   Restaurants and food service operator can earn up to two points from the GRA by utilizing our Hinged Deli Containers.  This will get them two points closer to becoming a Certified Green Restaurant.  Also, I’m happy to report that our Clear Hinged Deli food containers are the only clear hinged products that currently carry their endorsement.

The other great features of this line are:

  • Patented 360° seal
  • Patented hinged closure
  • Freezer safe
  • Works with automated fill & seal equipment

deli containersHeard enough?  If not, just shoot us a note and ask for some samples so you may give it your own test.  I’m confident you’ll like what you see.

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