The Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) recently recognized the sleek-shaped Linearpak® package that Sonoco designed and is producing exclusively for Target’s Archer Farms® cereals with a 2008 AmeriStar award. The package, along with other category winners, will be displayed at the IoPP Packaging Summit scheduled for May 19-20 in Chicago.
The selection by the IoPP represents another major packaging award for the Linearpak container, which previously was recognized with the Package of the Year award in the Food Category by Food and Beverage magazine and with the Private Label Packaging Award by PL Buyer magazine. All 18 varieties of the cereal marketed throughout Target’s nationwide chain are packaged in this first-of-its-kind container.
Tall and designed to fit comfortably in consumers’ hands, the gently rounded corners of the package allow vibrant graphics to flow seamlessly around the container. It also features a hinged plastic overcap for easy pouring and reclosability, another first on the cereal aisle. And when consumers open the package, instead of a hard-to-open bag, they find a tabbed membrane that easily peels away from the top of the container with a just a gentle tug.
A Different Package, A Different Experience
Target differentiates its brands from competitors using distinctive packaging. The Archer Farms Linearpak container expands this successful strategy by providing consumers with a unique presentation and value-adding features. With its unique shape and crisp flexo-printed labels, the Archer Farms Linearpak container clearly communicates the premium nature of the product inside. Also, its custom-designed polypropylene overcap includes a patent-pending hinge feature for easy pouring, and the overcap hugs the rim of the container to keep cereal fresh after the package has been opened.
Sonoco began work to develop the package after Target asked the Company for a newly designed cereal package to address consumers’ complaints about traditional cereal containers. Those complaints, as outlined in a 2006 Consumer Reports study, indicated that consumers didn’t like opening the bag inside cereal boxes because cereal frequently ended up everywhere but in their bowl. They also didn’t like the fact that the bags couldn’t be securely closed, resulting in stale cereal.
Charles Sullivan, executive vice president of Sonoco’s Consumer division, said Sonoco’s work with Target is an example of the Company’s unique ability to offer its customers total solutions packaging services. For the Archer Farms container, he points out that Sonoco is supplying the Linearpak container, peelable membrane closure and plastic overcap.
“We felt certain we could meet Target’s expectations because our total solutions approach allows us to offer customers a full range of packaging supply chain products and services,” he explained. “In the case of the Archer Farm cereal container, we were able to successfully design, test and produce a complete custom package from start to finish. That’s a unique advantage we have over most packaging companies.”
About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation’s operations include large, general merchandise and food discount stores with a fully integrated online business through which it offers a fun and convenient shopping experience with thousands of highly differentiated and affordably priced items. The company currently operates 1,613 Target stores in 47 states. Target Corporation news releases are available at www.target.com.
About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE: SON) is a $4.1 billion global manufacturer of industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services, with about 300 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85 nations. For more information on the Company, visit our Web site at http://www.sonoco.com/.
Contacts:
Sonoco
Robin Montgomery, 843-383-7509
robin.montgomery@sonoco.com