Walki Helps French Gourmet Coffee Producer Malongo Go Green
Walki Group, a leading producer of technical laminates and packaging materials, took up a major challenge. As a result, French luxury coffee maker Malongo will introduce, in December 2012, a novel way to pack high-quality coffee pods using environmentally sustainable and recyclable materials. The new packaging was developed in cooperation between Walki, Swedish paper manufacturer Korsnäs, and Malongo, and it could open up new doors for Walki in the future.
The Malongo coffee company was founded in 1934 in Nice, France. Although ground coffee and beans are still Malongo’s core business, pod coffee sales have exploded, today constituting 36% of Malongo’s sales. A disturbing fact so far has been that the pods have been made of plastic.
High-quality coffee without compromising on the environment
Walki’s task in the development project was demanding. The company was asked to deliver a barrier for the pod frame, and a paper-based packaging material for the individual pods, observing the need of recyclability and the sensitivity of coffee. Korsnäs provided the thermo – formable paper for the material, while Walki developed the special coating for it
- Coffee is very difficult to pack, because it creates plenty of gases and you need to keep the aroma sealed in the pod in order to create a perfect cup of coffee, says Marie Barge, Sales Manager for Walki in France.
High quality packaging materials with a new twist
During the last ten years, family-owned Malongo has been working hard to reduce the amount of its packaging and to use mainly recyclable materials.
- We made several trials when developing the product. At the end we managed to create the special coating for the product, which meets Malongo’s needs in terms of sustainability and ensuring the high-quality of its coffee product, Marie Barge says.
The combination chosen for the coffee pods board ring was Walki®Pack Bio X, an oxo-biodegradable and non-toxic polymer coating on paper board. The pod is then packed in a single packaging that had to be not only recyclable, but above all, provide a gas, aroma, moisture, and vapour barrier. On top of this it had to be thermo-formable, heat-sealable, peelable, provide good printability, and be oxo-biodegradable.
Many possibilities for thermo-formable packaging
- For Walki this project will open an entirely new market area, because we are now able to offer our customers an entirely new type of coated paper that is thermo-formable. So far we have not yet operated in such a market, but now we have the opportunity to offer thermo-formable packaging also to other customers, for the packing of various foodstuffs, including cheeses and other dairy products. /ins
Caption 1:
Malongo’s new coffee product will enter the market in December, being the first-ever fully recyclable and ecologically sustainable coffee pod product available.
© Walki
Caption 2:
Walki’s new thermo-formable packaging material helps keep coffee aromas sealed in the pod to create a perfect cup of coffee.
© Walki
Caption 3:
The Malongo coffee company was founded in 1934 in Nice, and has always prided itself on its commitment to quality, ethics and environmental sustainability.
© Walki
About Walki Group
Walki Group specialises in the production of fibre based, intelligent, multilaminate products for markets ranging from energy saving insulation facings and construction membranes to barrier packaging solutions. The Group has plants in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the UK, Russia and China with a workforce of about 1,000 people. Annual net sales for the Group are over 300 million Euros.
For more information, please contact:
Walki Group
Marie Barge, Sales Manager for Walki in France.
Mobile: +33 677 022796
email : marie.barge@walki.com
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