Canadian Honey Package Wins Innovation Award
Canadian Plastics
The Bee-O-Pac package for comb honey combines production, distribution and retail needs in one small container. The package, which is made from APET, recently received a Silver innovation award in the 17th DuPont Awards Competition.
The Bee-O-Pac package for comb honey combines production, distribution and retail needs in one small container. The package, which is made from APET, recently received a Silver innovation award in the 17th DuPont Awards Competition.
A thermoformed PET packaging system for comb honey is one of 22 winners in the 17th DuPont Awards Competition honoring innovation in packaging. The package was created by Bee-O-Sphere Technologies (St. Williams, ON), Shepherd Thermoforming and Packaging Inc. (Brampton, ON) and Petco (formerly a division of Groupe Lavergne, now owned by Klockner Pentaplast).
The Bee-O-Pac presents a completely new way for beekeepers to harvest comb honey from their bees. The frame and individual package bases are thermofomed using APET material. The frame is used in the hive, and the bees fill the individual package bases. Once filled, the bases are separated from the frames. A lid has been designed to snap onto the bases, and a label wraps around the two for tamper-evidence.
Shepherd reports filling orders for approximately 20,000 units of the package, which translates into 2,500 beekeepers, or about 10% of the North American market. According to Barry Shepherd, president of Shepherd Thermoforming, 2005 will be critical in determining the ultimate success of the product in the market.
