Filipino invents innovative packaging
A poorly packaged product may lead consumers to think that it is of inferior quality.
This is why manufacturers have been seeking out attractive yet cost-efficient packaging.
Most manufacturers consider the following questions in choosing the packaging that suits them: Does the packaging make your product safe when they’re on display? Does it give your product a longer life, keeps it fresh and not vulnerable to contamination? Is the packaging convenient and appealing?
If a manufacturer replies yes to all the questions, then it will soon earn a space in its dealers’ minds and consumers’ hearts.
A case study
Filipino businessman and inventor Wilson D. Go recently developed and patented an exciting alternative to expensive packages.
Made of soft plastic material, Wise-Pack™ is pliable and compact, slim and lightweight, as well as economical—an important consideration for producers in a developing country like the Philippines.
Take a 240-ml container—a brand-new glass bottle of that size costs P12, an aluminum can costs P9, while a rigid plastic bottle costs P6.
Apart from the high cost of the packaging material, distributors and retailers are also mindful of the fact that beverages represent significant logistics cost because of the large volume of space and weight eaten up by traditional containers for delivery and warehousing, shelf and cooler space, labor and power costs.
In developing a total solution that will provide Filipino consumers a superior beverage experience at an affordable price, Go saw that the key lay in significantly reducing the combined direct and indirect costs associated with traditional packaging.
It is a problem that weighs down manufacturers, distributors, retailers and, most of all, the consumers.
Go undertook an extensive search for packaging alternatives around the world until he found a container made of soft plastic and shaped like a pillow that significantly reduced the packaging material. Unfortunately, it did not have the capability to stand on its own.
Go then worked with packaging engineers to develop their own version. After years of investing time and money, Go and the engineers came out with a minimalist design—a pouch that’s perfect for stacking horizontally and can also stand on its own like a bottle.
The spout was also extended to serve as a built-in straw, eliminating the cost, hassle and hazards of using a straw.
For this innovation, Go was awarded 2 patents for industrial use and design for 21 years.
7 benefits
Consumers may expect the following benefits:
— Lower packaging cost, higher product quality. The savings generated from eliminating glass and plastic bottles, aluminum cans and carton bricks can now be plowed back into the product itself, enhancing the quality of the beverage. Maximum taste for minimum waste.
— Safer than glass, cleaner than plastic. Wise-Pack™ eliminates the hazards and risks, accidents and injuries that come with glass bottles. Furthermore, it is more hygienic than the plastic bags used by consumers who cannot afford to pay for a glass bottle. It also eliminates the need for costly and unwieldy glass bottle deposits.
— Easier to open, easier to use. Even against aluminum foil, the Wise-Pack™ is easier to open because there is no need to puncture it with a sharp object. There is built-in perforation that even children can open.
— Chill it, freeze it. Consumers now have the option to chill their beverage and drink it ice cold, or freeze it and munch on it as frozen delight, just like the popular “ice candy” or “ice drop.” A fruit juice drink that uses Wise-Pack™ can offer a more nutritious frozen dessert than ice cream.
Also, trade partners are in for some rewards:
— Less space, less weight. Because Wise-Pack™ is minimalist in design, distributors and retailers will be able to significantly reduce their logistics expenses—delivery and warehousing, high rental expenses, labor and electric power consumption.
— Cools faster, cools more. Because of the size, shape and material of Wise-Pack™, retailers can optimize the electricity consumption of their coolers and maximize profits more than if they were to stock up on traditional packaging containers.
— Environment-friendly. Wise-Pack™ is environment-friendly because it is 100-percent recyclable. And since it’s pliable, it can even be rolled up after use and kept in one’s pocket to avoid littering.
The name
The name offers an integrated solution—a packaging innovation that allows higher product quality at an affordable price.
It delivers maximum value to consumers while it provides maximum profits to retailers.
Go is quick to disown full credit for the invention, invoking an old proverb: “Nothing is truly original because everything already exists in nature.”
And true to the marketing adage, “Do not just extol the virtues of your product; but the virtues of your user,” it makes a statement for the wise user who “pays for the content, not the container.”
The first beverage brand to utilize Wise-Pack™ is Chooga™ Fruit Juice, which was launched in a limited test market in January this year.
Based on internal market surveys, the consumer response has been overwhelmingly favorable to the extent that the brand’s offtake has already exceeded other brands in stores where it is available.
Chooga™ is a fruit drink that has higher juice content than most brands, and comes in orange, mango, pineapple, pomelo and tamarind.
While it is too early to say, it appears that Chooga™ in Wise-Pack™ promises to be revolutionary and game-changing because it offers consumers the taste of a superior fruit juice drink at an affordable price.
The company behind Chooga Fruit Juice is Refreshment Republic Inc. (RRI).
Inquiries on distribution opportunities maybe answered by calling: 709-8888 or fax 709-0000.
