Whereas the large packagings for blueberries, up to a kilo, have been common in the United States for a while, the supply in Europe mainly consists of small packaging. Yet there seems to be movement in the market, Pascal Simian and Paul Tyrer of the British packing station Ackio indicate.
The packing station in Evesham, just to the north west of Oxford, is specialised in sorting and packaging blueberries, cranberries, cherry tomatoes and cherries. Ackio works for different contractors. "The products arrive in bulk packaging," says Paul. "We sort and package the blueberries into the desired packaging. We save costs in this way."
Because the company packages for a wide variety of customers, they are well aware of the trends in the British market. "We are seeing the packaging for blueberries increase in size recently," explains Paul. "We see more kilo packaging for these berries." The resealable packaging is also clearly on the rise. "This offers added value."
"We upgraded our sorting lines," continues Paul. He doesn't rule our sorting based on the flavour of the berries in the future. "Consumers also divide products into flavour more often, so it's logical for the market to go along with this."
Besides Ackio sorting and packaging the products, the company also helps growers gain access to certain markets. Paul talks of a 'Service Ecosystem' in which the company operates. This includes independent but complementary business partners Wellpak, an importer of fresh produce from around the world and Elision, a specialist contract packer. Pascal stresses the importance of transparency in costs. "We see a huge pressure on prices, so the costs have to stay as low as possible," he says. "We process large volumes, that's the advantage of our packaging station."
The ecosystem has recently been joined by Berry Alliance, a new not-for-profit supply chain model that provides growers worldwide with UK based administration, packing and logistics services to supply direct to retailers.
"If a grower supplies directly to the supermarket, the costs for packaging and sorting are often unclear, we have made all costs transparent," continues Pascal. "This transparency is important to build trust with the growers." Customers of the packaging station can choose what services they do and do not want to use, an amount is calculated per service.
