Stora Enso Boards Div. Predicts Paperboard Cups to Take Slice of Snack Packaging Market

Published: March 28, 2004, By PRESS RELEASE

IMATRA, FINLAND—Paperboard cups are making inroads into the confectionery and snacks market, reports Finland-based materials supplier Stora Enso, "as reflected by the strong growth in demand for cupstock." A recent press release from Stora Enso Consumer Boards predicts demand for cupstock will continue to develop favorably "as major client brands look for new applications and consumers in the highly competitive confectionery sector. "

States the Stora Enso release:

One example of this trend is confectionery manufacturer Leaf's recent re-launch of two of its best-selling snack and candy products in dynamic paperboard cups. The innovative cup concept has significantly increased overall sales of these popular products.

Leaf, which is part of the Dutch CSM Group, has paid particular attention to the development of its confectionery packages. The company recently re-launched "TV Mix", the popular candy mix in Finland, and Tupla, the market’s best-selling chocolate bar, in so-called candy cups. The new packaging solution has been well received in the retail market, as confirmed by the increased total sales of both Tupla and TV Mix. According to a Leaf representative, consumers have found the new applications – thanks to the innovative packaging concept.

User-Friendly Concept
“Consumers are showing increasing interest in purchasing confectionery snacks, regardless of time and place. To attract the active and busy consumers, we need versatile and functional packages”, says Annika Brusila, Marketing Manager at Leaf. “The candy cup combines attractive design with user-friendliness, reclosability and strength. The cup doesn’t make a disturbing rustling sound in the cinema. When driving, the cup can be kept in the vehicle cupholder. It’s easy to serve from and it keeps the candies fresh if you don’t eat them at once. Freshness and good hygienic qualities are guaranteed by the special material and tight-sealing lid”, Annika Brusila explains.

The cups are made from Stora Enso’s Cupforma board and manufactured by Huhtamaki. All Cupforma grades come in a 3-layer baseboard structure based on pure chemical pulps. The baseboards are coated with thin layers of various polymer compounds in order to provide optimal barrier, sealing and printability properties. Traditionally, cupstock has been used for the production of beverage containers, but now the leading cupstock producer in Europe and Asia-Pacific, Stora Enso Consumer Boards, sees major potential in completely new areas of application.

“The cup concept is creating particular interest in areas where innovative design and user-friendliness are key objectives. Major growth areas are candies, snacks and soups, and this is where the cup will probably add most value to a brand”, says Seppo Kiiski, Vice President, Stora Enso Consumer Boards.

Stora Enso and Its Paperboard Packaging Solutions
Check out PFFC's coverage of Canadian-based QC Packaging's use of a Stora Enso paperboard packaging concept for CD and DVD packaging at Hello DBS, Goodbye Jaded Jewel (http://pffc-online.com/ar/paper_hello_dbs_goodbye/).