ALPMA unveils new SAN Fresh technology for cheese counter

Photo courtesy of ALPMA

SAN FRESH — ALPMA’s SAN Fresh packaging combines the best of both worlds, featuring a hand-packed look with a highly efficient machine packaging solution. The easy-to-use product wrapping option helps to address sustainability and labor force concerns while spotlighting cheese products in their freshest form.

Photo courtesy of ALPMA

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION — Many packaging solutions on the market today produce a lot of plastic, which is significantly reduced with the use of products like SAN Fresh, ALPMA says. SAN Fresh saves up to 60% on packaging waste compared to conventional packaging solutions.

By Alyssa Mitchell

MILWAUKEE — ALPMA USA — the U.S. subsidiary of the German-based ALPMA Group — is bringing a fresh look to U.S. cheese counters with its SAN Fresh cheese wrapping technology. The easy-to-use product wrapping option helps to address sustainability and labor force concerns while spotlighting cheese products in their freshest form.

“Self-service cheese counters are playing an increasingly important role in retail. In order to tackle challenges in the labor market such as shortages of skilled workers, ALPMA has developed a completely new concept for wrapping cheese segments in film by machine while retaining the look of hand-wrapped and high-quality products,” says Maximilian Fussstetter, product manager for SAN Fresh by ALPMA Germany.

SAN Fresh combines the best of both worlds, featuring a hand-packed look with a highly efficient machine packaging solution, Fussstetter notes.

“Instead of time-consuming manual cutting and packaging of cheese, the pieces can be inserted directly into the so-called convertible counters,” he says. “This saves valuable time and allows staff to concentrate more on their main task — selling and advising to customers.”

As part of ALPMA USA’s strategy to bring this innovative packaging technology to the U.S. market, the company recently hired John Novak as its new sales engineer for cutting and packaging. Novak has worked closely with ALPMA and Ivarson Inc. over his 26-year career.

• A strategic history

Ivarson Inc. began in 1963 as a manufacturers representative with a commitment to quality and to the customer. Over the past 50 years, it has established strong relationships with several leading European manufacturers that share this commitment. In 1963, Ivarson introduced ALPMA cheese processing and packaging equipment from Germany to the U.S. market.

After a successful 50-year cooperation between ALPMA and Ivarson Inc., the two companies decided to increase ALPMA’s presence in North America by establishing ALPMA USA in Milwaukee in January 2013.
ALPMA also has benefited from other strategic partnerships throughout the years that have helped to grow its offerings.

ALPMA’s process technology offerings include reverse osmosis and polishing, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration and microfiltration systems across a wide range of dairy applications including pre-processing of milk for dairies, as well as the processing of sweet and acid whey into high-quality whey protein products.

Earlier in 2019, ALPMA acquired a majority stake in the Mozzarella and semi-hard cheese equipment producer Sulbana. With this merger, the ALPMA Group further extended its world market-leading position as a full-range supplier and equipment producer for the cheese industry.

Today, ALPMA continues to produce machines and installations for the cheese and dairy industries. The company’s process technology, cheese production technology, and cutting and packaging divisions offer customers and partners a unique range of products — all from a single supplier — from machines that lead the field both technically and technologically to the processing and packaging of food to complete system solutions for the cheese industry.

• Commitment to sustainability

“As a responsible company, it is important for us to offer not only efficient, but also regional and environmentally friendly solutions that create clear added value for our customers,” notes Ruedi Bucher, vice president of sales for ALPMA USA.

For ALPMA, sustainability means acting responsibly for current and future generations. At the same time, the company also is creating conditions for sustainable, long-term corporate success. The company takes care to avoid waste in its production processes, including auxiliary and operating materials, or, where this is not possible, to recycle them.

Many packaging solutions available on the market today produce a lot of plastic, which is significantly reduced with the use of products like SAN Fresh, ALPMA says. This combined with the labor-saving attributes of the technology make it a sound investment for cheese departments nationwide, Bucher says, noting that certain hard cheeses, like Parmesan, can add an increased shelf life of up to 20 days with this offering.

This sustainable packaging concept also saves on plastic waste — up to 60% compared to conventional packaging solutions, Fussstetter notes. Specifically, SAN Fresh saves up to 47% versus thermoformer packaging and up to 57% versus a flow wrapper.

The technology can be used with different film options, such as 15µm (micrometer) PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride) film with chloride, or 12µm polyolefin base without chloride, which is recyclable. SAN Fresh also offers the flexibility to wrap different sizes of cheese with just one format. That means no format change and no downtime.

The convenience doesn’t end at the cheese counter — consumers also can experience the ease of use of SAN Fresh at home. Rather than having to “repackage” cheese after opening, consumers can simply re-wrap the product to return to the refrigerator, Bucher notes.

“With a flow wrapper wrap, once you open it, it can be hard to re-wrap. With SAN Fresh, you can cut some off of the cheese to eat and then re-wrap it easily to store back in the fridge,” he says.

“Classic packaging concepts such as thermoforming or flow wrapping suggest an industrial touch. Consumers, on the other hand, prefer individual and freshly sliced portions of cheese,” he adds. “Consumers can already follow this freshness process with their own eyes, as in today’s supermarket concepts, employees cut and wrap the cheese by hand in plain view and then present it at the self-service counter.”

While the technology is newer to the United States, it already has seen success in Europe.

“Particularly in Switzerland, where a lot of packaging is still traditionally done by hand — especially for high-quality, regional specialties — the success of the innovative fresh packaging concept is clear to see,” Fussstetter says. “Several machines have already been delivered to European customers in recent months, and the feedback has been consistently positive. The companies report a noticeable reduction in workload and a significant increase in efficiency, without compromising the appearance or quality of the goods.”

Supermarkets with service counters and cheese companies that offer their products regionally in high quality are ideal users for the SAN Fresh technology, he adds, noting that larger delicatessens also benefit, as they can optimize their processes without having to compromise on presentation or the artisanal character of the packaging.

“Packaging cheese in a service counter often involves a lot of effort — cutting, weighing, packaging and labeling — which takes a lot of time,” Fussstetter says. “With SAN Fresh, the packaging process is completely eliminated, as the machine provides an attractive, fresh packaging solution. This allows staff to focus more on customer service, which is an enormous advantage, especially in times of a shortage of skilled workers. With the SAN Fresh, you can increase your share of the value chain and bring cheese packaging from the supermarket back to your business.”

CMN

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