re~fresh Packaging Wins Approval From Gourmet Leek Customers

The new re~fresh modified atmosphere bags, containing Leeks.

A recent packaging change from plain plastic to re~fresh modified atmosphere bags has significantly improved the visual appeal of gourmet leeks and increased their shelf life by at least two weeks.

Cambridge growers, Peter and Kim Kleven, claim the new packaging has helped maximise the value of their prewashed, small and tender gourmet leeks by keeping them fresher for longer and enabling the packs to be printed with nutritional information and recipes. The ready to slice and cook gourmet leeks have been marketed by the Kleven’s in 500g packs of three to four leeks for the past several years, and are particularly popular for stir fries.

According to Kim Kleven, their change approximately 18 months ago to the printed more breathable bags very quickly got the thumbs up from their customers, with several going out of their way to phone the number printed on the bag to personally convey their approval. Kim says, ”People like the look of them, and that’s what we were looking for – to catch people’s eye. We also wanted to educate our customers about the health benefits of leeks and how to cook and store them, and we have been able to do this through the printing on the pack.”

The Kleven’s are now planning to further educate their customers by changing the recipes on the pack at regular intervals to encourage their customers to use them more and try out different dishes.

re~fresh films are custom designed by Convex Plastics utilising sophisticated computer modelling to match the respiration, ethylene sensitivity and expected outside storage temperature and humidity of the intended packaged produce. The resulting film structure manipulates the amount of O2 and CO2 contained within the packaging, and thus enables the produce to live longer by delaying the ripening process and reducing ethylene production.

During the development of their packaging Peter and Kim found Convex Plastics really easy to work with and rate the company’s service and communication as really good. Peter says, “Convex have been very helpful all the way through. We just told them what we wanted, and they pretty well delivered exactly what we asked for.”

Along with extending the shelf life of leeks, re~fresh films have also provided proven results for cherries and apricots, and can be found in almost all leading supermarkets in Australasia packing everything from mixed salads and stir fry mixes, to fresh herbs, shredded lettuce and carrots.