The innovative SuperLight™ container from Superfos, a Berry Global company, has proved the ideal pack for the new MakeGusto range of tasty Italian ready meals that are easy to prepare and can be enjoyed on the move.

SuperLight uses a clever combination of plastic and cardboard to provide a user-friendly solution for the products where boiling water is added to the ingredients to create each meal. The inner part of the packaging is made of a type of plastic which withstands the heat, while the cardboard on the outside of the cup makes it comfortable to hold, even though the contents are extremely hot. Importantly, after use it is very easy to separate the cardboard from the plastic for recycling purposes.

The MakeGusto range is produced by family-owned business Antaar&S S.p.A., located in Pavia, south of Milan. The range has been especially developed for export, with a concept based on high quality dried products with no additives or palm oil and maximum end-user convenience.

As Francesco Loconte, Product Development Manager at Antaar&S explains: “We want to bring the taste and tradition of Italy to countries outside Europe – and make it extremely easy for the end-user to prepare our rice or pasta meals. The SuperLight cup from Superfos perfectly supports our ambition.”

The MakeGusto range comprises five varieties, such as Pasta Alfredo, all sold in a 400ml SuperLight cup. This size is perfect for the 55g of ingredients. There is no lid; a plastic film protects the contents before use.

Other positive properties of the packaging solution are linked to production at Antaar&S, where quality standards are very high.

“The SuperLight cup allows a fast and smooth process on our filling line. It is also an advantage at the end of the line where we check each product by x-ray and a metal detector,” says Francesco Loconte. “As the SuperLight packaging is simply plastic and cardboard and contains no aluminium, it makes our quality control very easy to carry out.”

According to Francesco Loconte, both pack quality and the level of support and service received from Superfos are excellent. Antaar&S is optimistic about future prospects for the MakeGusto range, with early indications are that it resonates well with consumer demand in South America, the United States, and several oriental markets.