Baking & Snack - November 2022 - 71

OPERATIONS
Cookie Packaging
singular
As consumers gravitate toward individual cookie packages,
bakers must build in the flexibility to produce them.
by Michelle Smith
A
Although they've been around awhile, single-serve
cookie packs are on the upswing, and bakers are figuring
out how to produce more packages to meet the growing
demand.
" The direction is definitely going that route, " said Bill
Kehrli, vice president of sales, Cavanna Packaging. " The
rest of the world is way ahead of us when it comes to
smaller pack sizes. That trend is coming here. We're doing
a couple of lines for a couple of people. We're seeing
more money allocated and invested. "
Dave Watson, bakery and snack subject matter expert
with The Austin Co., said he's seeing co-manufacturers
who are exclusively producing small cookie packages.
" Private label cookie firms are running all these special
two-pack varieties because the big guys don't want
to take the floor space away from their existing operations
for these smaller pack sizes, " he said. " A lot of the
larger companies are pushing it out to co-manufacturers
to do those special pack sizes for them. "
There's a variety of reasons why consumers are gravitating
toward these now.
" Consumers lead busy lives and are increasingly looking
for convenient products that suit their full schedules, "
according to a statement from Syntegon. " Singleserve
packaging fits that bill and is therefore becoming
more and more popular. ... Moreover, with the ongoing
pandemic, consumers also continue to appreciate the
hygienic aspect of individually wrapped items. "
Leave no stone unturned
Bakers who want the flexibility to switch between different
packaging sizes have several good options. It's
important for bakers to identify what they want from
the beginning, said Dennis Gunnell, president, Formost
Fuji. Bakers should bring suppliers into the process early.
" Get all the stakeholders and say, 'Here's what we want
to do.' Even if you think the person may not be involved, "
he said. " How will it interact with all the processes along
the way? Get all stakeholders involved from marketing
to the supply chain. "
Bakers need to know what they plan to produce on
the line right away as well as a few years down the road.
" We can't do everything, " Mr. Gunnell added. " Or you
can, but it's going to be very manual. If you need to do
everything, that's OK. But then you're going to need to
make sacrifices to give you that flexibility. And usually
that means hand loading. People are just way better at
that kind of thing than any type of equipment. "
Although some individual packs are produced using
vertical form/fill/seal baggers, Mr. Watson said most are
gravitating toward horizontal form/fill/seal wrappers.
" I would say the majority of the production seems
www.bakingbusiness.com / November 2022 Baking & Snack 71
The need for convenience
as well as
safety and economic
concerns have all
pushed consumers
toward smaller,
individual cookie
packages.
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Baking & Snack - November 2022

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