SIG Combibloc’s innovative packaging now launched in the French market

The leading French fruit juice manufacturer Eckes-Granini France is the world’s first supplier to launch the premium juices of their Joker brand in SIG Combibloc’s innovative combishape packaging. Since September, the orange, apple, multifruit and grape juices of the Joker brand in the oval-shaped aseptic combishape cs R020 cartons have made their appearance on French supermarket shelves. “It is beautiful, it is convenient, it is contemporary and it expresses the closeness to nature that our brand stands for”, says Sylvain Jungfer, managing director of Eckes- Granini France. The company is filled with enthusiasm about the idea, the design, the handling and the uniqueness of the “Ovaline” - this is the name given by Eckes-Granini France to this new packaging that has been jointly developed with SIG. It will now be exclusively used for the relaunch of the popular Joker premium juices. “Our unique Joker juices with new recipes deserve a unique packaging displaying the values of our products on the package”, says Jungfer. Eckes-Granini France is part of Eckes-Granini International which has established itself as the No. 1 European fruit juice company with net sales of 704 Mio. € (888 Mio. US$) in 2003. It has now operations in ten European countries and its fruit juices are offered in more than 70 countries all over the world. Products are marketed under well-known brands like granini, hohes C, Joker, Réa, Sió, Clippo, Marli, Mehukatti and YO. Eckes- Granini is an affiliate of the financial holding Eckes AG, based near Frankfurt. In France, the company is the market leader with a market share of some 19 percent in the segment of fruit juices. With production sites in Sarre-Union and Macon, Eckes- Granini France produces and sells the Joker, Réa and granini brands. In the segment of aseptic fruit juices, Joker is the No. 1 brand in France. “Our Joker juices are associated with wellness, health and quality of life. With the new recipe for the Joker juices, we have managed to underline once again the quality aspect of the innovation,” says Jungfer. “More than ever before, the development in the retail business has shown that the quality of a product and its image are not the only factors influencing the purchasing decisions of our consumer. We also need a packaging format that is unique to our brand and expresses its values best. The combishape packaging system from SIG Combibloc gives us the chance to underline the new generation of Joker juices and at the same time keep the history of this renowned fruit juice alive.” Joker in combishape: a promising combination The oval shape illustrates the opportunities of the new breakthrough technology - more than 40 basic shapes have been defined so far for combishape - it has given the Joker premium juices a new face. “Our objective was to develop and qualify a unique shape that reflects the natural values of the products to the consumer. This new and sophisticated technology of SIG Combibloc allows our customer to achieve strategic goals in the European juice market with a unique and iconic shape”, says Stéphane Malbois, managing director of SIG Combibloc France. “The high quality aspect of combishape was another decisive factor for the choice of our customer. The aseptic filling process ensures that all important nutrients as well as the colour of the products are maintained best. And in addition, the materials used - carton, aluminium and polyethylene - are 100 percent recyclable, which helps to preserve the environment. Joker in combishape - a promising combination.” “The decisive advantage of the combishape packaging system is based on the variety of carton shapes and its effectiveness in building brand differentiation”, explains Matthias Enste, International Product Manager combishape of SIG Combibloc. “In the field of aseptic carton packagings, this is a unique brand communication tool.