Brampton, Ontario, Canada-headquartered SunOpta Inc. has added new stand-up pouch packaging capabilities at its Buena Park, California-based frozen fruit operation, and in its Wahpeton, North Dakota roasted snack facility. Products in stand-up pouches will also be packed at the company’s fruit snack plant in Omak, Washington, scheduled to be on line during the first half of 2016.
“Our recent investment in pouch stand-up packaging capabilities throughout our integrated platform meets the growing customer and consumer demand for stand-up pouches in multiple categories including frozen fruit,” said Rik Jacobs, SunOpta president and ceo.
“Stand-up pouches are quickly becoming preferred by many consumers, with 90% of them influenced by the package and 45% placing packaging ahead of price in buying decisions,” he added. “The enhanced technology and added capacity has led to new customers and expanding order volumes from existing customers.”
In the company’s frozen fruit operations the addition of a second stand-up pouch line was necessary to accommodate additional demand for this specific package type, while the new pouch packaging capability in roasted snacks has led to supplying new innovative products starting in the third quarter. SunOpta currently outsources pouch-packaged volumes for fruit snacks.
In addition to its new stand-up pouch packaging capabilities, the company has significantly enhanced its consumer product goods portfolio with the recently announced purchases of Sunrise Growers and Niagara Natural. The acquisition of Sunrise Growers, scheduled to close this fall, is expected to provide SunOpta significant scale in private label frozen fruit, a growing market segment.
