Ben: You’ve mentioned that you have a relationship with Tetra Pak since 1980. Why Tetra Pak?
Monther: Have you heard the saying, ‘Great minds think alike’? Similarly great companies join together. I believe we are a great company and we have a passion towards our customers. We needed to provide our product in a good packaging material that will also sustain the environment. Without doubt Tetra Pak has been first in the market in introducing products and has always supported by innovating new packaging. For example, we were number 3 or 4 in the world to apply the Dream Cap to our product. Tetra Pak uses high speed machines to fulfill the company’s needs. Likewise there is a lot of effort from their side besides the excellent team that they always provide for their management to support companies like us.
Ben:Can you briefly give us little more details about the package on the whole? What’s the purpose behind this package?
Neils: This is a new range that Tetra Pak launches under the Artistry suite of packaging material effects. It offers an eye-catching holographic effect that really helps products to stand out from the competition. The Tetra Pak Reflect actually reflects the increasing need of on-the-go. We see an increasing individual need, we see the sports and the health wave and we try to cater to those needs. So the way we work together is truly a partnership. We read the trends.
BD: What’s special about the holographic use?
Neils: We not only compete with products on the shelf, but with the packaging, with the materials we use like the PET with the can, glass and that format of packaging we need to compete with besides what’s inside the product. I think holographic will bring the product into a niche and an edge above the rest of the packages.
Ben: What’s the market reaction?
Monther: Actually from the time we launched this product in the market, it has drawn the attention of the consumers. In the past we used to have fiber packaging. It didn’t have the same impact in the shelf. This has the look of a can with the shine and the reflection on the shelf. This gives us a platform to compete with the can that is accepted with the youth. With the holographic packaging we can grab the consumers, especially the youth segment that we are looking for. Besides that we found out that when the consumers grab the product they find it very easy to handle, environmentally friendly packaging as well as the holographic look.
Ben: You have mastered this substrate which is great. Do you also have some PET based products? Are you looking to migrate to cartons?
Monther: Our PET-based offerings are small. We believe we are in the cartons segment. We believe we are in a long-life fiber packaging segment. That’s our domain. 98% of our products go into fiber packaging.
Neils: As we see global trends, we see an increased awareness among youth and for the environment. All of these products as you can see are FSC labeled so it’s from renewal resources. Together with Al Rabie we will move into recycling from the beginning of this year. With this package we touch all of the elements of the modern reach of the consumer.
BD: TetraPak is working for packaging towards a circular economy. How do you link that to your clients like Al Rabie? How is this circular economy implemented in action by you?
Neils: Tetra Pak was born as a sustainable company because all of the forests used for Tetra Pak products are renewable and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as well as all our factories in the world. So the materials we bring are truly renewable. We have also understood that there is a new wave of awareness in Saudi and in the GCC about the environment. So we have actually starting to highlight the value that we provide in terms of environmentally friendly products. 100% of the materials that we deliver out of our factory in Jeddah will be in FSC labeled cartons.