General / April 23, 2018
Home cooks have long filled pantries with various spice staples (and the occasional exotic seasoning) to give their meals the taste and zip that satisfied their families’ bellies. In many homes (and restaurants, for that matter), the flavors of yesteryear were simpler and milder. But today’s cooks—from the home kitchen to the restaurant to the meal service—are seasoning their ingredients like never before, and kicking up the spice levels to uncharted territory—much to the delight of today’s foodies.
Ever since Food Network celebrities became a “thing,” fusion cuisine went mainstream, and Millennial taste buds grew up, highly and uniquely seasoned food have exploded in popularity. This creates both great need and a great opportunity for spice manufacturers and purveyors to expand their sales, selection, and reach. And along with that growth is need for high quality, protective, efficient, and effective packaging. Flexible packaging makes it possible for seasoning companies to deliver their products to commercial and home users in a variety of formats that meet the needs of cooks at all levels.
The growing demand for well-seasoned food and the increasing tolerance for spice mean that commercial and home demand for seasonings is increasing. Additionally, home meal kit services have become increasingly popular, and require their own custom-packaged spices and seasonings, and encourage repeat purchases as consumers reuse recipes. So even novice cooks can replicate chef-created meals with all the taste and spice. At the same time, ground and dried spices, in particular, have a limited shelf life due to the volatile oils that make up most of their flavor. So it’s essential that packaging protects the product, keeping air and light out, but also important that a variety of volumes are available. Overselling bulk just means added waste, or someone continuing to use a product long after it’s lost all its flavor.
Another reason that seasonings and spices have seen an uptick in interest is because of the healthy eating, natural, and organic markets. With the decreased interest in high sodium content and artificial flavors, cooking trends have turned back to natural spices, herbs, and exotic seasonings. Buyers in these markets also look for responsible companies, non-GMO labels, and sustainable packaging products (e.g., recyclable and/or compostable).
To meet all of these growing needs, our flexible packaging solutions offer manufacturers a lot of, well, shall we say… flexibility. From laminate materials that help maintain freshness, to resealability, to numerous pouring and dispensing methods, herbs, spices, and seasonings we’ll get to their destination and into their dishes at peak quality. And we even offer those recyclable and compostable choices for the sustainability-conscious consumer.
Some of our most popular options are:
Are you ready to get started with your flexible spice packaging solution? Give us a call or contact us!