Taking those Funky Chicken Home!

Constantia Flexibles has won another Gold Pack Award. After being awarded twice for the P.S. chocolate bar project for Mondelez, including a silver for the P.S. Bar in the Food category, Constantia Afripack were also given the Bronze Gold Pack Award in the Food category for new take-away chicken packaging that was developed for Nando’s.

Nando's is an international casual dining restaurant chain originating in South Africa. Founded in 1987, Nando's operates about 1,000 outlets in 30 countries today and specializes in Portuguese style chicken dishes with various peri-peri marinades. Take-away chicken also is big business for Nando’s which requires special packaging to prevent the liquid from the chicken and its sauce leaching through the bag.

Interested in more details of the chicken bag packaging development? Here you go - we spoke to Kim Tomlinson, who was in charge of the project.

Three Questions for Kim Tomlinson

Constantia Flexibles: Special packaging for chicken? Tell us more about it…

Kim Tomlinson: The take-away chicken industry is a big business in South Africa and many neighboring countries and uses huge quantities of paper food bags. Initially locally supplied bags couldn’t prevent the basting liquid from the chicken leaching through the bag. Leaching weakens the bag and causes difficulties for the customer transporting the food.

Constantia Flexibles: So Constantia Flexibles was asked to help?

Kim Tomlinson: The project started about three years ago. Previously Lufil, Nando’s bag supplier, used a combination of greaseproof paper laminated to brown Kraft. In combination with Lufil, Constantia Afripack and the Nando‘s packaging team a solution was sought based on previous imported laminate from France. The result: a South African laminate, which is 100 percent greaseproof and heat sealable. Developed in our facilities in Durban, the new laminate uses a locally produced machine-glazed Kraft 50-60gsm, which is extrusion coated with also locally produced polypropylene and low density polyethylene.

This bag protects the product and allows the customer to arrive home grease-free!

Constantia Flexibles: Is the new packaging only sold in South Africa?

Kim Tomlinson: This development has ensured local supply as well as lucrative supply to some of Nando’s overseas businesses, like Canada and even Singapore.

Contact: Kim Tomlinson