To meet the growing demand for single serve coffee creamers, Tetra Pak yesterday said it would introduce a new packaging line for its Tetra Classic Aseptic 20 ml package.
The new Tetra Pak A1/Mini operates at about double the speed of an earlier version, increasing output to 21,600 packages per hour for the 20 ml package from 9,000 packages per hour for the 25 ml package.
"The Tetra Pak A1 packaging line enables dairy manufacturers to package their products in the instantly recognisable tetrahedron shaped Tetra Classic Aseptic package," the company stated. "It is targeted at customers' requiring high capacity, performance and quality at a low investment."
Outside-the-home consumption of coffee and tea is increasing steadily, the company noted in a press release. About three quarters of consumers add milk or cream to their drinks. The coffee creamer segment is growing 5.7 percent annually world wide, with estimated sales of US$2.5bn in 2005.
Tetra Pak claims it is the only company providing single serve aseptic carton packages designed for coffee creamers. The 20 ml volume also meets consumer demand.
Coffee drinkers are using more milk and the 20ml package fits that market said Alex Salling, project manager at Arla Foods, one of Europe's leading dairies. Arla Foods has been test marketing the packaging system since September 2005. The company uses Tetra Pak A1/Mini along with a cardboard packer.
The Tetra Pak A1/Mini will be released this year in selected markets in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, with global availability scheduled for the first quarter in 2007.
Aseptic packaging requires separate sterilisation of the product, bottles or cartons, and their closures. The sterilised product is then packaged in a sealed-off sterile environment and the container sealed under aseptic conditions.