KINGSVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA - Consumers eat with their eyes first, and doesn't the team at Mucci Farms know it. Bridging the gap between the shopping basket and retailers' desire to impact their bottom line, Mucci Farms has introduced its new Paper Top Seal, a packaging line that pops on the shelf while helping to elevate premium greenhouse-grown offerings in the produce department. To highlight the line's ingenuity and success, CPMA has awarded the top prize for Packaging Innovation in its Virtual New Product Showcase to Mucci Farms for the Paper Top Seal sustainable packaging initiative.

“It’s no secret that sustainability is a primary subject in the food industry so it’s great to be recognized for our ongoing efforts to address these global challenges,” said Fernanda Albuquerque, Packaging Development Manager, adding that the award-winning Paper Top Seal package replaces the plastic Top Seal film with a paper film, allowing both the PET tray and lid to be fully recyclable. “We are focused on reducing plastic in every way we can, so it was exciting to be able to innovate and modify an existing package and make it that much more environmentally friendly.”

This new innovative solution from Mucci Farms reduces the use of plastic on common footprint containers and effectively converts them into 100 percent, fully-recyclable packages.

The new release stimulates growth for the company's customers and the program's consumer base at large.

“The virtual showcases gave us a chance to expand our creativity,” Emily Murracas, Director of Marketing, shared. “We have a very talented in-house team that did a great job with graphics, video, and digital media to be creative with content in an exclusively online setting.”

Currently in the trial stages, the Paper Top Seal lineup will initially be offered in standard 1-pint to 2-lb Top Seal formats based on the product, according to a press release.

This coveted award and packaging line builds on the momentum from Mucci Farms Best Sustainable Packaging win for its Simple Snack offering at the 2019 PMA Fresh Summit Conference and Expo.

Bringing additional value to the buy-side portfolio, Mucci Farms has also introduced Zingers^TM Shishito Peppers and Teeny-Tiny Smuccies^TM. Zingers are a mild finger-length pepper that offers a unique experience with one in 10 peppers being spicy. Teeny-Tiny Smuccies bring a bite-sized version of another award-winning product to market. Mucci has also renewed its push on the company's expanded organic cucumber program.

The Packaging Innovation Award was one of four categories that also included Best Snackable Product, Best Organic Product, and Best New Product. In total, 56 products represented by 44 companies were judged by a panel of industry professionals in an all-new virtual format. While the Annual CPMA Convention and Trade Show was canceled this year due to ongoing concerns with COVID-19, we all plan to catch the next Mucci Farms innovations at the event's full return in person March 2-4, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Congrats to the Mucci Farms team on this recent award and a big thank you for the continued dedication to elevating the greenhouse and packaging categories!

Mucci Farms