MERA’s baked dog food finds a home in Mondi’s new, paper-based FlexziBox

Mondi recently spun off a new, paper-based line of dog food packaging based on its FlexziBox concept, which until now had been entirely plastics-based.

Longtime Mondi customer MERA Tiernahrung GmbH, a socially minded, mid-sized family company in Kevelaer, Germany, supplies private-label pet food to the German retailer Fressnapf Tiernahrungs GmbH.

“MERA was looking for a package that would combine the advantages of a plastic bag – light weight, high barrier properties, attractive print quality, and long shelf-life – with the natural look and feel of paper,” according to Fitore Loshaj, Regional Sales – Germany, Austria & Switzerland, Mondi Consumer Goods Packaging.

So Mondi got to work. The result is a brand new product for MERA, with dog-food packaging in three convenient sizes, offering a useful range of choices for consumers based on their needs:

• 1 kg: a flat-bottom FlexziBox with laser perforation for easy opening and a hook-and-loop closure offering resealability;
• 3 kg: a FlexziBox with a reclosable top slider; and
• 10 kg: a FlexziBox, also with a top slider and covered handle in the side gusset.

All are made of a laminate consisting of brown kraft paper, a transparent polyester (PET) middle layer, and a transparent, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) inner barrier layer. In addition to all versions offering reclosability for added convenience and freshness, the largest package includes an integrated handle on the side for easy carrying. And paper has the added advantage, of course, of being a renewable resource, Loshaj added.

This paper/PET/PE construction provided a suitably innovative package with consumer-friendly features for MERA’s range of Nature’s Effect-brand baked pet food. It says its new manufacturing process results in “crunchy baked nuggets at a natural quality.”

“We know about the power of nature,” notes Enes Tajic, Purchase Manager, MERA Tiernahrung, “and we put special emphasis on the origin and quality of all ingredients. So we wanted a package that would reflect those same principles. Mondi stepped up and delivered an ideal solution with a paper-based FlexziBox.” The new products have been available in all Fressnapf/Maxizoo stores and online since spring 2018 under the brand name REAL NATURE Crafted Choice.

Tapping into its extensive expertise in both paper and plastic packaging, Mondi employs two of its plants to manufacture this new product – converting is done in Steinfeld, Germany, while printing and laminating is performed in San Pietro in Gu, Italy, Loshaj said.