See salt

Saxa and Skellerup have refreshed their packaging and incorporated resealability for greater consumer convenience. The new design has lead to stronger shelf presence.

Salt is one of the earth’s most utilised commodities, prized for its inherent ability to preserve, enhance flavour and even heal. Yet, salt as it is commonly sold in granular format can be tricky to package and handle, so brand owners have to make smart choices on how to best contain and market this basic commodity.

In the past, salt has been packaged in paper sacks that tear and leak easily during transportation, or in bags and cartons that offer poor moisture barrier, requiring consumers to use another container in order to keep it fresh.

Cerebos, a leading Australian-New Zealand manufacturer of sauce, spice and coffee, saw the importance of good packaging for its salt brands and decided to revamp its Saxa and Skellerup product packages. The company had a few objectives for the new packaging:

1. Offer consumers greater opening, closing and storage convenience;
2. Minimise moisture entry and clogging; and
3. Increase brand prominence on retail shelves.

The solution came easily in the form of a stand-up pouch which literally stands out on shelves, complete with a Zip-Pak resealable powder-proof, press-to-close zipper. The closure incorporates a proprietary design which prevents powder granules and particulates from clogging in the zipper profile.

Previously, Saxa and Skellerup’s 500 g, 1 kg and 2 kg salt products were packaged in non-resealable pillow packs that lay flat on retail shelves and had a lower shelf visibility. Customers also had to transfer the contents into a separate container after opening and throw away the original packaging.

After upgrading to a block bottom stand-up pack with reclosable zipper, and refreshing the package’s marketing graphics, the Saxa and Skellerup salt brands now enjoy greater shelf presence and offer resealable convenience to customers.

 A legacy of quality and taste

For decades, Cerebos has been harvesting salt from the Pacific Ocean - collecting the fresh sea salt from evaporation pans, sending it to the refinery and packing the final product for distribution. Every step is controlled meticulously, ensuring the highest quality salt synonymous with the company’s market-leading brands Saxa and Skellerup.

Whether sprinkled over a gourmet steak or used as seasoning in fish and chips, Saxa and Skellerup salt are essential household items for families across Australia and New Zealand. Cerebos has captured at least 50% of the local market share with these two salt brands and sells to major grocery chains such as Foodstuffs and Progressive Enterprises, independent retailers, hotels, restaurants and cafes.

Constantly innovating and adapting to meet customer needs is a driving force behind Cerebos’s success. With consumers demanding higher-quality products and paying closer attention to food hygiene issues, making a good first impression in the form of innovative packaging became the organisation’s priority.

Enhanced branding with convenient packaging

With a thriving legacy behind the two poster brands Saxa and Skellerup, it was vital to continue providing a premium product in modern packaging with additional consumer benefits. To update its salt packages, the company employed a stronger laminate film that reduces scuffing and leakage during transportation - a benefit welcomed by supermarket executives.

The new packaging also included a clear window that allows consumers to see the product’s purity; and to top it all off, it had a resealable powder-proof zipper enabling full and secure sealing and eliminating the inconvenience of decanting the product contents.

Peter Phillips, Packaging Manager for Cerebos New Zealand, said, “It was necessary to use a powder-proof zipper instead of conventional resealable closures as the particulate nature of salt means it’s prone to clogging. Zip-Pak’s powder-proof closure eliminates that problem and provides greater consumer convenience. Our customers can now store the product in its original packaging, which also boasts high moisture barrier properties.”

Because customers are able to reseal the salt in its original packaging, they are continually exposed to the branding messages on the product, which extends Cerebos’s marketing investment in package graphics. Leveraging the strength of the Zip-Pak brand, Cerebos also printed the Zip-Pak logo on the closure line to further assure customers of the package’s resealable convenience. The refreshed Skellerup package was launched in February this year, while Saxa has been enjoying the new brand exposure for over a year with its refreshed look.

Added Philips, “With the new stand-up pack format, the Saxa and Skellerup salt brands now have a more distinctive shelf presence. They have increased consumer appeal and are easier to find in stores and kitchen cupboards. The resealable closure also helps to retain the product freshness and makes the package insect resistant.”

To manufacture the new Saxa and Skellerup bags, Cerebos applied the zip together with the package film on a Propac vertical/form/fill/seal (VFFS) machine, effectively maintaining the production speed. Zip-Pak Australia worked closely with the machinery supplier, Propac, to ensure compatibility with the zip design and followed up with support visits to the packing plants. Zip-Pak continues to offer technical assistance to both the Australian and New Zealand packing plants.

Philips noted, “We are glad to have found the right packaging solution that adds value to our product and provides brand differentiation. With the resealable feature, consumers can readily trust the integrity of our product. The refreshed salt packaging has led to increased sales and we’re now thinking of doing the same for our other product lines.”