In Belgium, the potato packing company, Warnez, was looking for a 2.5kg paper potato bag. That was on behalf of local supermarket, Match. That proved challenging, as existing concepts were not sturdy enough or hindered production capacity. So, Warnez approached the Dutch packaging company, Paardekooper. "Paardekooper was the only player in the market that could meet all the requirements and also deliver in a very short time," says Peter van Steenkiste, Product and Packaging Manager at Warnez.

Tight deadline Warnez is a family business that has been active in the potato industry since 1950. It works mainly on behalf of Belgian retail. "Modern consumers clearly prefer paper packaging. And although this isn't always the most sustainable packaging option, we follow market wishes. We already had a 1kg paper potato bag."

"For 2.5 kilos, we could only offer a preformed bag, but these took too long to fill. We had to find a different solution. Preferably a proven concept because we didn't have much time to test it. This paper potato bag had to be ready within four months. Fortunately, Paardekooper could help," says Peter.

"We're fruit and vegetable packaging specialists, so we're aware of the high standards potato packaging must meet," says Sebastien Roelandts, Paardekooper's International Account Manager. "Thus, our manufacturer, Cartomat, and we developed CartoPaper bags. This paper bag is strong when wet and prevents the potatoes from drying out."

"Also, it's naturally breathable and very tear-resistant. Machine builder GKS Packaging believed in our concept and developed a fully automatic machine to process paper rolls optimally. This combination has proven itself extensively in practice and is the perfect solution for Warnez."

Production speeds triples  "The production speed is almost triple that of the preformed bags," adds Peter enthusiastically. "It's exactly what we wanted. CartoPaper preserves the potatoes' harvested quality optimally too. Given less food waste, this absolutely adds value. The paper is FSC®-certified and may be disposed of after use."

"The bags are sealed with a special spot coating. There's so little of this it dissolves during recycling. And we save on materials compared to traditional preformed paper bags, which are made of two layers of paper. Our CartoPaper bags are one layer, without compromising strength."

Food safety is another vital requirement. "That's why CartoPaper is white," Sebastien explains. "But consumers prefer brown, which looks more natural. To convey this well, we printed the bag with a brown kraft look. The white base has the advantage of displaying color better, like the red on the top."

"Paardekooper's expertise was apparent here too," Peter point out. "The bag looks almost like real brown paper. Paardekooper and we also determined the punched perforations' correct size. People want to see what they're buying, but these holes must, of course, not compromise the bag's strength. We succeeded well in this too because, to date, we've not heard of a bag being torn."

Compliments Peter reflects on this partnership with satisfaction. "Compliments for the speed and expertise with which Paardekooper, Cartomat, and GKS, handled this project. Everything went very smoothly and within the stipulated time. We're now the first Belgian potato packaging company to offer our customers 2.5kg paper potato bags on rolls."

"These have an excellent production speed and quality too. We're currently working on a follow-up project with Paardekooper and GKS. We want to be able to pack larger potatoes. That, too, is challenging, but I'm confident that, together, we'll find another good solution," Peter concludes.

For more information: Warnez Potatoes 2L Marialoopsesteenweg B-8700, Tielt, Belgium Tel: +32 (0) 514 00 812 Email: info@warnezpotatoes.be      Website: www.warnezpotatoes.be  

Paardekooper 16 Willem Beukelsz Street 3261 LV, Oud-Beijerland, NL Tel: +31 (0) 882 222 333 Email: info@paardekooper.com  Website: www.paardekooper.nl 

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