The AmLite high-barrier metal-free recyclable packaging by Amcor has doubled the shelf-life of the premium popcorn produced by Popcorn Shed. The increase in the shelf-life of their popcorn has increased the appeal of Popcorn Shed’s brand both in e-commerce platforms and as an export product, with international export sales accounting for 25% of Popcorn Shed’s profits. If you are looking for top of the range sweet packaging solutions then please see Amcor.
Key Things to Know About the Popcorn Shed Brand
Popcorn Shed is an independent premium popcorn producer based in London which was started by cousins Sam Feller and Laura Jackson in 2016. The idea for starting the firm came about when the two were making popcorn at the back of their garden shed at home. The company which prides itself in producing tasty products made using premium ingredients, later packaged in alluring materials has continued to grow steadily since inception with one of the key growth drivers being the company’s focus on offering exceptional customer service.
Popcorn Shed was the first popcorn producing company to use the double-packaging technique (using the bag in box method) which makes their premium products highly sharable and ideal for use as gifts. Currently, the company stands out from the competition because of the premium ingredients they use to make popcorn as well its product packaging technique.
Why Customers Love Popcorn Shed’s Packaging Model
Unlike most other snacks, popcorn is more perishable because it is highly susceptible to absorbing moisture and oxygen. Once a popcorn pack is opened, there will be a noticeable loss of freshness and crunchiness within a short amount of time. To preserve their products for longer, Popcorn Shed usually stores their popcorn in plastic pouches which are then housed in ‘sheds’ made of cardboard packaging.
In the past, Popcorn Shed used to store their popcorn in clear bags that had a laminated barrier film at the top. Though this packaging happens to be great for storing perishable foods such as ready-to-eat meals because of its strong protective barrier, the company ended up receiving several customer complaints because the bags were not easy to open.
Sam Feller notes that as a brand, their intention was to produce luxury products for their customers. While using the PET LDPE clear packaging material with a strong laminated barrier, most of their customers complained that they either needed scissors to cut through the barrier or use sharp objects to cut through the packaging material which led to a lot of popcorn spillage. These complaints did not augur well with the luxury brand image Sam and Laura were trying to build and maintain for their clients – an innovative change was required…
Additionally, it is worth noting that the PET structure in the bags they were using in the past meant that their packaging bags could not be recycled. Though PET bottles can be recycled, a recycling stream for PET pouches does not currently exist. Given the past customer complaints mentioned above and the fact that sustainability is becoming a growing issue with customers each passing day, the company decided to adopt the new mono-OPP/PP packaging pouches made using Amcor’s AmLite metal-free, high-barrier coating which fit the recycling streams that have been adopted by several European Nations.
Why Amcor’s AmLite Recyclable High-Barrier Packaging Works for Popcorn Shed
To fit the bill of a true luxury popcorn brand, Popcorn Shed needed a packaging material that worked in three main ways …
• It should keep the popcorn inside fresh for as long as possible
• It should be easy to open
• It should be recyclable
The AmLite recyclable high-barrier packaging delivered by Amcor fit all these requirements. Apart from keeping the produce inside fresh, the packaging could be opened easily, and, it could also be recycled once delivered to the crisp packet recycling systems found outside most stores as well as polypropylene recycling facilities such as those found in some European countries like Germany.
The AmLite Recyclable Packaging by Amcor is a metal-free, high-barrier packaging material by Amcor which allows the producers of perishable foods to keep their product stored fresh in an alluringly designed housing. Amcor uses its extensive experience in producing high-barrier protective coating to craft lightweight packaging materials that are easy to open, can keep products fresh for long and have a beautiful exterior look.
This new packaging material by Amcor offers the same high-barrier protective qualities as conventional metal-based polypropylene (OPP). However, since the packaging is metal-free, consumers get to see exactly what they are purchasing – a key requirement for Popcorn Shed.
The use of packaging materials with an OPP structure usually has an impact on how sustainably they can be recycled. The presence of metals in the OPP structure can interfere with the Infra-Red detection systems used during machine sorting when recycling meaning that some materials can be left out. On the other hand, AmLite’s metal-free barrier is more easily detected by these systems meaning it has high levels of sustainability when it comes to recyclability.
Further the move by Popcorn Shed to adopt Amcor’s AmLite Recyclable Packaging has substantially lowered the carbon footprint, water consumption levels and reliance on non-renewable energy for the company and its partners. As it is, AmLite’s carbon footprint is 58% lower making it more sustainable than the packaging being used by Popcorn Shed in the past.
