Sev-Rend now serving leafy greens

Sev-Rend Corp. will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2018. Longevity in the dynamic produce packaging and labeling business comes with ongoing creative work with an industry gaining sophistication at a blazing speed.

Tony O’Driscoll, Sev-Rend’s vice president of sales and marketing, said Sev-Rend is constantly developing fresh produce packaging to suit customer needs on an ever-expanding commodity range, while helping retailers move more fresh produce.

Sev-Rend’s latest offering is originally engineered pouch bags designed to maximize shelf life and sales for fresh green leafy vegetables. Sev-Rend has developed the package in tandem with its grower-client, Inspired Greens. Located in Saskatoon, SK, Canada, Inspired Greens is part of The Star Group.

The focus is expanding living greens’ shelf life. “This is a complete redesign of a traditional package,” O’Driscoll emphasized.

These pouch bags will be part of the new product showcase at the PMA Fresh Summit in New Orleans. O’Driscoll said the pouches are designed for hydroponically-produced vegetables with no dirt on the roots.

The pouch’s retail displays reveal the tops of leafy greens. There are strategically placed holes and integrated handles for consumers to lift the pouches and the pouch shape varies, depending on product shape. For example, romaine pouches are longer than those for butter lettuce. The packaging “is fully functional to the needs of the greens,” said O’Driscoll, emphasizing that “these are not your standard, run-of-the-mill pouches that focus on cost. But costs are always important.”

Jeff Watkin, Sev-Rend’s graphic and marketing manager, noted that “top notch development” led to the new leafy greens pouch.

O’Driscoll, whose specialty is “in the niche between oil and plastics” added: “If you look at polymers, you need some technical intimacy to better-solve problems.”

For marketing reasons, the Sev-Rend executives can’t yet be specific, but indicated their adaption of pouch bags for two more commodities is not far off.

Sev-Rend manufactures these pouches in its clean and modern facility in Collinsville, IL, which is just east of St. Louis.

Currently, the new pouches are being used by two major Canadian retail chains. That market will be expanded from Sev-Rend’s PMA convention booth this October.