Multifilm/H&N Packaging Supplies Innovative Candy with Innovative Packaging

When Wolfgang Candy Company started looking for a supplier for their revolutionary new Sweet Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries and Raspberries, the choice was obvious: they turned to Multifilm Packaging Corp. and partner company H&N Packaging to deliver an innovative packaging solution. Wolfgang Candy has developed a patent-pending method of manufacturing confections that use fresh fruit as the main ingredient. Fresh blueberries and raspberries are coated with dark chocolate, creating a healthier approach to confections by providing important antioxidants and other vital nutrients found in both dark chocolate and fresh berries. Most importantly, the proprietary manufacturing method improves shelf life for confections that use fresh fruits as a main ingredient — Wolfgang’s sweet dark chocolate covered raspberries and blueberries have a shelf life of up to one year. “When choosing a package for the berries, the piece wrap had to serve two purposes: present a colorful, fresh look and provide protection from impacts that could smash the berries inside the bag,” says Brad McGlaughlin, managing partner of Wolfgang Candy. With well over 15 years’ experience in the piece wrap business, Multifilm offers a multitude of piece wrapping solutions. “We recommended Multifilm’s proprietary SuperSeal, a high speed flow wrap material that provides high barrier, good hot tack, and good seal integrity”, explains Olle Mannertorp, president and CEO for Multifilm and H&N Packaging. “The cast polypropylene component in the SuperSeal laminate provides excellent barrier, and we chose to metallize the film in order to provide additional barrier. The hermetic seals create the air-tight pillows that Wolfgang needed to cushion and protect the berries inside the bag.” “Multifilm’s SuperSeal ran flawlessly on our machines”, adds McGlaughlin. To achieve the impact needed for the outer bag, Wolfgang chose a rotogravure printed stand-up pouch from H&N Packaging. “The pouch had to communicate the freshness of the product, so a design with a very detailed image of the berries was chosen,” explains Bob Rosen, vice president of H&N Packaging. “The bag also has a window that shows the individually wrapped dark chocolate covered berries.” The bag features a polyester film laminated to Multifilm’s proprietary cast polypropylene, which adds excellent clarity and exceptional water barrier. And because of the CPP’s stiffness, Wolfgang was able to downgauge the bag without compromising on the properties. According to Rosen, “this is the first stand-up pouch to utilize CPP as a sealant web.” “Working with Multifilm and H&N on this project has allowed us to save money on our packaging costs without sacrificing quality, and they were able to turn the project around quickly, just in time for our introduction at the All Candy Expo in Chicago,” says McGlaughlin. “The one-stop-shopping from two very specialized companies has been a tremendous asset to us while launching our dark chocolate covered berries.” Multifilm is a fully integrated supplier of piece wraps and bag film laminates for the confectionary and snack food industries. H&N Packaging supplies high quality printed foils and laminated films to the confectionary, dry foods, and pharmaceutical industries. Both companies share the same management team and are owned by European packaging giant Constantia Group, with sales exceeding $1 billion in 2004. For more information on Multifilm and H&N, please visit www.multifilm.com and www.hnpack.com. Multifilm and H&N are owned by Constantia Packaging, a worldwide producer of flexible packaging films and foils, with revenues exceeding one billion dollars in 2004.