Hockenheim, Germany — (NYSE: SON). The Italian food market has an entirely new packaging solution: Amica, Italy’s second-largest snack producer with an annual revenue of approximately 85 million Euros, packages its traditionally manufactured “Eldorada” potato chips in rigid paper drums. The large rigid paper containers, produced by Sonoco Consumer Products Europe, are ideal to share the delicious snacks with a group of friends, for instance at a barbecue or during a sports event. Amica successfully introduced the new packaging format in a promotion campaign during the summer months with a focus on specific sales channels such as Autogrill motorway stores.

While they are very popular in other European countries, rigid paper drums have not been used for food products to date in Italy. Some Italian consumers still recall the famous rigid paper drums for “Dash” laundry detergent back in the seventies and eighties. Now, Amica is the first company to launch this packaging solution in the local market. The snack producer owned by founder Alfredo Moratti opted for Sonoco’s modern classic in its 2016 summer campaign for the “Eldorada” premium chips. Several advantages convinced Amica of this packaging solution: the label design, format, and filling level of rigid paper drums can be changed quickly, enabling the producer to realize small batches cost-effectively. This makes rigid paper drums particularly suited for temporary promotional activities or product launches. They also allow for co-marketing. A chips producer could for example place additional dipping sauces in the drum.

Highly popular and convenient snack packaging

The rigid paper drums for the “Eldorada” chips have a 176 millimeter diameter and are 360 millimeters tall. They come with a plastic snap lid and carrying handle. Sonoco delivers the rigid paper drums to Amica’s headquarter in Castiglione delle Stiviere, where the snack producer can quickly fill them with the pre-packaged potato chips. Environmentally friendly production is very important to Amica, so it was crucial that Sonoco uses recycled paper board to produce 90 percent of the body and bottom of its rigid paper containers. Since Amica additionally packages the chips in a large plastic bag, the rigid paper drum does not require an inner lining. The combination of both packaging solutions combines maximum product protection with high convenience for consumers. The rigid paper drum is ideal to share the snacks with a larger group of people, e.g. at parties. If the chips are not eaten at once, the re-closable snap lid ensures that the content remains fresh and crispy.

Perfect ingredients for a successful sales campaign

Rigid paper drums offer additional value with regard to branding and marketing: at the point of sale (POS), Sonoco’s drums immediately catch the consumer’s attention due to their size and high-end decoration. The laminated all-around label provides a wide range of options for individual brand designs and decoration. For the Amica potato chips, the plastic carrying handle is another important detail. Vendors instruct their sales staff to put the handle in a ready-to-carry position, thus raising the number of impulse purchases. During their 2016 summer campaign, Amica distributed “Eldorada” drums through specific sales channels such as motorway stores. This strategy paid off – beginning with a relatively small batch, Amica has reordered several times and demand is still increasing.

About Sonoco Europe

Sonoco’s more than 70 operations in Europe provide customers with solutions in Global Rigid Paper and Closures; Global Plastics; Packaging Services and Graphics Management. Offering a range of packaging materials, packaging services, technical disciplines, material science and manufacturing capabilities, Sonoco takes a holistic approach to providing customized solutions that meet our customers’ unique needs. To learn more, visit www.sonocoeurope.com.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5 billion, the company has 21,000 employees working in more than 330 operations in 34 countries, serving some of the world’s best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2015/2016 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.