The packaging needs of strawberry growers are constantly changing and as such, Watsonville, CA-based Pacific AgPak is continually tweaking its signature clamshell products to fit any new specifications.

“Growers are always looking for something a little different and we can customize to whatever they want as long as the numbers are there,” said Dave Baum, president of Pacific AgPak, referring to the fact that creating a mold for a new clamshell configuration is very expensive. If a grower-shipper orders sufficient volume to justify the creation of a new mold, it’s a done deal. Otherwise the packaging company works with the shipper to adjust their needs to fit in a more standard pack.

While the clamshell is always being improved, Baum said clamshells are currently available that are highly efficient in both utilizing space on a pallet and ultimately the truck, and for the purpose of cooling the berries. Space utilization and the proper cooling of berries are undoubtedly the two most important characteristics that grower-shippers are looking for when ordering a clamshell.

Pacific AgPak has tweaked its own manufacturing set-up and is now adding even more recycled material to its PET (the most common thermoplastic polymer resin) clamshells. Baum said that about 80 percent of the material used is plastic that has already been recycled. And of course, the clamshells themselves are recyclable. Virtually every grower-shipper — and in turn, every buyer — prefers using materials that are as environmentally-friendly as possible. So Baum said each time the company is able to reduce its carbon footprint, that is very well received by the grower community.

The company has also added labeling capacity to its own manufacturing setup, which effectively reduces the amount of time it takes to produce a fully labeled clamshell.

Speed is an important element in providing clamshells to the industry. Mother Nature has a way of being unpredictable and demanding packaging when the berries are ready. Baum said Pacific AgPak works with its customer at the beginning of the season on projecting the volume of clamshells that will be needed during the year. The packaging company then produces about 50 percent of that order, on its own dime, and keeps it in its own warehouses until it is needed. It doesn’t bill the customer until the product is shipped, and then it replenishes the inventory as needed.

“We do check back with them at mid-season and adjust the total if necessary,” he said.

Baum said the goal is to have the inventory match the production as closely as possible. Communication with the grower-shipper is key to accomplishing that task.