Amcor has launched a packaging system with built-in venting control for keeping ground coffee and whole beans fresh.
To deliver full flavour to consumers, most coffee producers prefer to package their product right after roasting.
For decades, the solution for degassing freshly roasted coffee has been to apply hard valves that allow carbon dioxide (CO2) to escape the pack. However, this added parts, machinery, complexity, and costs to the packing process.
Amcor's new system is called Vento, and it it can be delivered to roasters with the degassing system already applied, ready to run on their filling machines.
Coffee can be packed immediately after roasting with no additional equipment or steps.
Peter Hansen, R&D and product development engineer for beverages at Amcor, worked with a team of Amcor developers on the system, which is integrated directly into the packaging laminate.
Amcor tested it with six pilot customers who analysed how well the material ran on their machines and how well it protected their coffee’s freshness using shelf-life tests.
Some of the biggest benefits pilot customers saw from switching to Vento were reduced downtime and less production waste.
In addition to freshness and process efficiency, Vento offers sustainability advantages.
It is up to 87 per cent lighter weight than hard valves, and allows energy savings by eliminating the need to power an applicator machine.
This results in up to eight per cent decrease in overall carbon footprint for a 250g pack.
Vento can be integrated on any of Amcor’s typical triplex laminates for coffee soft packs, and adapted to customers’ specifications.
