New packaging conquers the coffee industry

Packaging Solutions

Since March of 2018, organic ground coffee brand ‘Coffee’ has been on store shelves. This product is available in an InlineCan.

The cube shaped carton packaging was designed by Optima in collaboration with other companies. The barrier features make the InlineCan an alternative to common vacuum packaging.

‘It took several years of intense teamwork with Optima from the first idea to the completion of the new product. We are happy that we can now present the result in our stores,’ said Michael König, managing director of NewCoffee, which owns the ‘Coffee’ brand.

An Optima CFS filling and closing machine takes the semi-completed packaging from a Hörauf production machine. The Optima machine fills the coffee into the InlineCan and subsequently gas flushes the can with nitrogen and seals it.

‘With this machine we accommodated the market needs,’ said Ulrich Burkart, sales director of Food Solutions at Optima. After several years of development, the InlineCan is celebrating its first success in the coffee industry.

The requirements of the end-users were the focal point during the development phase. No refilling is necessary due to the re-closeable lid and easy to open can. The cube shape of the InlineCan makes it easy to remove remaining coffee. It is also a requirement to protect the aroma and freshness of the coffee.

The outside of the InlineCan package provides space for detailed product information.

The aluminium vacuum bag was established in the 1960s and not much has changed since then. Therefore, the market launch of the InlineCan was a small revolution. For years coffee manufacturers and the packaging industry have been trying to optimise coffee packaging. Whether or not the InlineCan will replace the vacuum package has to be seen. However, several companies have already inquired about the new packaging. Optima’s next objective is to design a recyclable InlineCan striving for an aluminium free version.