Sev-Rend targets Mexican avocado business

The Mexican avocado business is being targeted by the produce packaging and labeling company, Sev-Rend Corp.

Greg Petermeyer, Sev-Rend’s general manager, said his firm is primarily entering this Mexican segment through its established California avocado business.

“A lot of our California customers are in Mexico. They are sending our products to their Mexican operations. It works well to ship from California, vs. buying from a supplier across the ocean.”

Packaging executives Jeff Watkin and Greg Petermeyer stand before a colorful lobby display in their headquarters at Sev-Rend Corp. Discussing the California avocado industry with The Produce News this spring, Jeff Watkin, graphic and marketing manager. indicated that “Avocado packaging is moving from a header-only style bag” which is a net bag with a film top that has finger holes for carrying, “to a half-wrap style bag and to a full-wrap style bag.”

The primary avocado packages Sev-Rend is supplying are three- and five-pound avocado mesh bags. These utilize all three types of packaging Sev-Rend offers the avocado industry. The three are “Sof-Net” brand, “SR-film” and branded direct thermal labels.

Sof-Net is Sev-Rend’s branded netting, which is preferred by avocado grower-packers, Reta noted.

“The main use was green in the beginning and now companies have evolved to different netting colors to compliment branding along with identifying specific product types.” He said, for example, that, depending on the packer, purple or white netting is being used to identify organic avocados.

“SR-film” is material Sev-Rend uses for the overwraps of its mesh packaging. These can cover half of a bag, or provide a full-wrap around the avocado bags. Heavy-gauge SR-film is used for solid colors or a repetitive “wallpaper” print. Full-wraps have “considerable room to serve as a viable branding and marketing vehicle for these customers,” Watkin said.

Larger wraps allow “for more ‘real estate’ on the packaging for the company to communicate” health education, product features and avocado use.

Full-wrap film around avocado bags also boosts the opportunity for brand development and retailer-driven recipe programs.

Sev-Rend is based in Collinsville, IL. The produce packaging company was launched in 1993.