Most fresh produce packaging requires several containers to take the product from the packing house to the supermarket. Ay Kasa's Minibox is a packaging solution that eliminates the need for at least one of those containers. It can be covered with a plastic film that makes it ready to display in the produce aisle, but it's also sturdy and the correct dimensions so that it can be stacked on pallets without the need for additional boxes during transport. The combination makes it an attractive, eye-catching package that's also very durable and well-suited to the realities of fresh produce transportation.
“The main advantages of the Minibox folding crate are the savings in logistics and its space-saving properties,” said Hakan Nikbay, Vice President of Ay Kasa. The box can fit about two kilograms of product and it's easily transported because it can break down when not filled. But a big benefit of the box comes from the versatility it offers shippers.
“The Minibox is different because with other packages that are similar in size, you need to put them in bigger crates to transport them,” said Hakan. “You also can't use certain kinds of packages if you're going to put them in cold storage. Cardboard, for example, gets wet when in cold storage. But the Minibox has excellent air circulation and is made of plastic, so there's no problem with putting them through cold storage. That's important because more and more product has to go through cold storage these days.” Because the box is just a smaller version of the larger foldable crates Ay Kasa sells, the Minibox, with its patented design, can go on pallets as-is.
“It fits perfectly on European pallets, and nobody else can produce that size like we can,” said Hakan. The box is made of high-quality plastic that conforms to all European standards for the transportation and sale of fresh produce items. For that reason, the box is big in developed countries, including Germany, Italy, England and Spain.
Consumers are attracted to the packaging, added Hakan, because it's a sturdy crate that can be used in a variety of ways after one consumes the contents within. It's something shippers should consider, he posited, when they decide what to use for their packaging.
“For packaging companies, all materials are just seen as cost, and they're always trying to reduce cost,” said Hakan. “But supermarkets are forcing those companies to use high-quality materials. There's also more automation when it comes to packaging, and our boxes are very adaptable to that. Combined with the space-saving feature of the foldable Minibox, our product offers many advantages.”
