See Sirane packaging at FruitFocus in Kent

Sirane is set to make further inroads into the European fruit packaging business by setting out its stall at the forthcoming FruitFocus exhibition in East Malling, Kent on July 28

The premier UK packaging solutions company, Sirane, is also completing a round of company visits that have resulted in greatly increased demand and order enquiries for fruit packaging products.

"We set great store by our fruit packaging innovations and designs" says Sirane Director, Simon Balderson: "In truth, the fruit market is a number of segmented niches - soft fruit, berries, stone-in fruit, and our packaging is lately in demand everywhere - partly for the range of physical properties - in absorbency, compostability, colour and so forth - but also for the speed of the Sirane customer response in the marketplace.

Our team of Sandra Evans and Jeremy Haydn Davies are succeeding in waging a very focussed campaign to win the hearts and minds of growers, packers and leading retailers".

The Sirane presence at FruitFocus on July 28 sees the company at the UK's leading technical event for the sector.

Sirane has also successfully been taking its fruit packaging sales and marketing initiatives into Europe over the past six months.

Successful market research and customer visits were carried out in Germany in February 08, taking Sirane the international fruit exhibition - Fruit Logistica - in Berlin last month and the leading organics fair, Bio Fachs, in Nuremberg a few days later.

The new compostable fruit packaging material - branded Resolve - was a hit at both German exhibitions and Sirane sales and marketing director Jeremy Haydn Davies clinched orders to the value of 10 million units from two leading Italian fruit suppliers.

Customer visits to Holland Says Haydn Davies, "Europe is really leading the way for tomorrow's fruit markets in terms of innovation and sheer growth.

Much of the new packaging being produced there will make its way back to the UK by this summer.

We foresee continued expansion on the Continent - and a need to increase the Sirane profile and expertise on the Continent".

One key to the market, is knowing the trend and demand in each particular niche.

The growing appeal for antioxidant foods, for example, has dramatically increased the volume of the European and world markets for berry cultivation and consumption.

The blueberry market, for example, has seen unprecedented growth; in the UK, Poland and other growing centre.

Aesthetics are an important part in packaging for this high value-added commodity and the Sirane abilities with colouring fruit pads and other materials has seen it win orders.

As part of its networking and research in this area Sirane took part in the Global Berry Congress in London, May 15-16 and also sent its engineers to the Interpack packaging exhibition in Dusseldorf in the previous month.

Davies adds that "with Resolve we have the advantage of a unique solution a compostable offering and a growing brand.

There is nothing else like this on the market today - and since we can also colour match the material to order we are experiencing a rush in demand from those suppliers that really know their markets".

Sirane Resolve fruit pad is currently targeted mainly on the berry and soft fruit sector.

The compostable Sirane pad cushions the fruit, absorbing excess moisture or juice, therefore decreasing pack and product waste.

The Resolve absorbent cushioning fruit pad - fully compostable and competitive with alternative materials - is primarily supplied as part of a package involving PP or PET trays - with a clear move in the sector towards clear PLA materials.

As well as its compostable function, the Resolve pad helps suppliers to extend shelf life and also guard against damage, discolouration and decay.

For total fruit packaging solutions, however, there is a new Sirane star on the horizon in the shape of Resolve Pac - a completely sculpted packaging solution with internal cushioning support for each fruit.

Resolve Pac supports and protects the high value-added markets of stone fruit and quality apples, pears in a quality packaging that is also completely compostable.

Currently being made by Sirane in a four-pack format for leading UK retailers, other configurations are being worked with by the Telford-based company.

"When the retailer sells high quality soft fruit, the product has to be guaranteed as exceptional - and without blemish or degradation" says Simon Balderson, Sirane director "Our new Resolve pack will do just that - and we shall be doing all we can to market it to the changing fruit markets in Europe and beyond".

At Sirane Sandra Evans notes a shift in the selling and marketing of much fruit over the past twelve months.

"We have seen a strong desire to add value and improve the perception of soft fruit" she says: "From the packaging viewpoint, this is evidenced by the requests for new packaging formats, new materials and more variants of colour and design.

For similar reasons, there is a desire to remove bubble film from soft fruit packaging.

Bubble film is an industrial product which has poor perception in a food package.

It has limited protective properties and is not recyclable or compostable.

Replacing bubble with a cushioned, compostable pad improves the protection and appearance".

Evans adds that "I am really pleased with the sector's take-up of our compostable packaging pads - with a fantastic response from Berryworld and other major growers.

This month's FruitFocus will really get our message across".

Sirane is also investing in its international fruit packaging marketing with an exhibition space already booked at next year's Fruit Logistica - to be held in Berlin, February 4-6, 2009.

The full range of Sirane's innovative fruit packaging will be on show at FruitFocus in East Malling in July.

For all further details please contact Simon Balderson of Sirane.

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