Case Histories
The Solution Expanding Pizza Business Thanks to Long Shelf Life Achieved with CRYOVAC BDF® Overwrap Packaging
Bracia Rudziks is a fast-growing Polish food processor, supplying fresh pizzas, local delicatessen and convenient Ready Meals to Tesco, Geant, Carrefour, Elea, Polomarket as well as to local retail shops.
Its annual growth of 30% has been particularly strong for fresh pizzas, which represent today 50% of its business.
The company was recently under pressure from retailers to prolong the shelf life of its fresh pizzas. The long distance from the production plant to the Warsaw outlets also made this a key priority for Rudziks, not to mention plans to expand its distribution network.
The Solution
Rudziks management regularly monitor competition and visit foreign markets to observe latest trends. They aim to bring similar quality to Poland and become market quality leaders. It was clear to them that they needed to upgrade their packaging and abandon the manual PVC stretch film process which generated quality problems.
The company decided to work with global food packaging specialist Sealed Air Cryovac. Earlier this year, they adopted the well-proven CRYOVAC BDF® concept for tray overwrapping fresh pizzas under modified atmosphere. This high barrier shrink film provides a leak-proof, abuse-resistant package of extended shelf life, while offering superior transparency and the traditional store-wrapped look consumers prefer.
Rudziks acquired an ULMA Pacific packaging line with a Cryovac® CJ shrink tunnel to pack their fresh pizzas in Cryovac BDF® 8050 film.
The Benefits
The new packaging fulfils a number of requirements and provides numerous benefits:
- Shelf life extension: the high barrier and abuse resistant materials ensure that the product remains fresh during the entire distribution cycle.
- Reduced logistical costs: fewer deliveries are now required (only once weekly) to supply retail outlets thanks to longer shelf life.
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Enlarged distribution network and business opportunities as more outlets can be reached.
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Expanded market base: Rudziks will be able to supply more distant domestic regions as well as export countries such as Spain where they are hoping to expand their market base.
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Enhanced consumer appeal on the retail shelves thanks to an eye-catching presentation. "PVC hides a product's imperfections", explained co-owner Krystyna Rudziks. "With Cryovac BDF you cannot do this: the product has to be absolutely perfect and is showcased to its best advantage".
The Results
Rudziks management are very pleased with the results. "The machine is fantastic and is working perfectly. We tested it on site before making the decision, so we knew exactly what we were buying". Cryovac provided assistance in design services, brainstorming resulting in new ideas, full training of local staff and after-sales support.
Implementation of the new Cryovac packaging has been a breakthrough in the company's development on the market. "We like this packaging concept very much", said Jakob Rudziks. "We definitely want to continue developing in this direction".
Rudziks is now planning to introduce the CRYOVAC BDF® concept to pack other products, such as pierogi (fresh raviolis). The new packaging has also inspired the company to entirely revamp its brand image with a promotion campaign planned for September 2006.
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