Oerlemans: A new Tetra Rex customer packing frozen vegetables

On 2 March 2005 Tetra Pak Nederland has reached agreement with Oerlemans Foods for the delivery of a Tetra Rex–configured Nimco filling machine with FlipClip applicator. Oerlemans will use the 1 litre Tetra Rex package for frozen vegetables. The package will be distributed in the frozen chain, and will be sold at the retailers in the frozen cabinet.

“Since we are quite dependent on co-packing private labels for retailers, we see this cooperation with Tetra Pak as an innovative way to create distinctive uniqueness to strengthen our core Oerlemans brand”, says John Korsten, Marketing and Sales Director at Oerlemans Foods.

The filling machine will be installed in April 2005, and Oerlemans expects to introduce the product in The Netherlands by May. Expectations are very high at Oerlemans. Market research has indicated unusually high levels of consumer interest and intent-of purchase.

Retailers in the Netherlands have also responded very favorably to this forthcoming introduction, since they regard it a true category innovation, combining convenience with enrichment in food preparation.

The consumption concept is that consumers would take the package from their freezer, scatter (=strooi) some of the pre-chopped vegetables in the soup or dish they are preparing, re-closing the package, and putting it back in the freezer.

Oerlemans Foods’ main facilities are located in Venlo in the South of The Netherlands, with subsidiaries in the UK, Spain, Poland and Hungary. Oerlemans has chosen to focus on organically grown vegetable fruit- and potato products, and currently offers more than 1000 different SKUs. Oerlemans claims market leadership in Europe on the market for packaged organic vegetables and fruits.

For more information, please contact: Liesbeth Mikx, Tetra Pak Nederland Tel. +31 – 168 - 386 420