Larger, sustainable packs trending for Southern California strawberries

Sustainable packaging and larger-sized clamshells are the trend among Southern California strawberry grower-shippers, but 1-pound containers remain the package of choice.

“The 1-pounder is still the king of the industry,” said Jim Grabowski, director of marketing for Watsonville, Calif.-based, Well-Pict Inc.

Most retailers use 1-pounders as a “workhouse,” he said, featuring them on ad at two for $3, two for $5, or buy one, get one. But 2-pound clamshells are popular too.

“In the last five years or so, we’ve seen a real good increase in business on 2-pounders,” he said.

It took the industry a while to get stores to see the benefit of making the 2-pounder a daily shelf item, Grabowski said. Once that happened, retailers were pleasantly surprised to see that the 2-pounder would work as an everyday item, not just a sale item.

Trays of 1-pound clamshell containers are the most requested item at Visalia, Calif.-based Seven Seas Fruit, part of the St. Louis-based Tom Lange Co., said Brent Scattini, vice president, West Coast.

But sales of 2-pound clamshells are approaching the same level, he said.

Related: Rains hinder early season picking for Southern California strawberries

One- and 2-pound clamshells also lead the pack when it comes to packaging at Irvine, Calif.-based Gem-Pack, said Craig Casca, who handles sales for the company.

Customers of Salinas, Calif.-based Naturipe Farms LLC ask for a diversity of pack size offerings, said Jerry Moran, vice president of sales.

“Each customer caters to their target audience, and we support them in meeting their shoppers’ needs,” he said. “Large packs tend to become more popular in our peak supply periods to offer a value to consumers.”

Sustainability also is on the industry’s mind these days, Grabowski said.

“It’s beneficial for the plant and the grower in the long run to have a sustainable program,” he said.

Currently, 75% recyclable materials go into Well-Pict’s clamshells, he said.

Sustainability also is important at Seven Seas Fruit, Scattini said.

“We are stewards of the land, and without sustainable farming practices, our future would be compromised,” he said.

The company’s clamshell containers are recyclable, and the firm continues to evaluate “all types of different pack options.”

Customers inquire about sustainable packaging and growing practices, Scattini said.

“We are proud of our sustainability practices and are constantly working to improve — exploring farming practices and materials that will help decrease our environmental footprint,” he said.

Sustainability plays a “huge role from the ground up” at Gem-Pack, Casca said.

“Committing to sustainability is committing to searching for better practices and being open to creative alternatives,” he said.

Clamshells and labels are recyclable, he said, and Gem-Pack has been looking at fiber board and other options for years.

“We are testing products each season and trying to find the most viable alternatives, although to date we have not found an option that meets grower and customer needs,” he said.

Customers inquire about the sustainability of the company’s packaging, and some have collaborated on packaging tests, he said.

Sustainability is a priority throughout the company at Naturipe Farms, Moran said.

The company’s containers are recyclable, and they’re made from a mix of post-consumer and industrial recycled content.

“We also have containers that are made from 100% recycled content with 10% certified Ocean Bound Plastic,” he said.

In addition, the company began transitioning from paper labels to recycle-friendly BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) wash-away labels in 2020, he said. All of the company’s clamshells with BOPP labels also bear the How2Recycle logo.

“To date, Naturipe has removed over 1.5 million pounds of plastic from their packaging with their top seal technology,” Moran added.