Technology and experience at the service of pet food

The flexible packagings signed by Volpak reflects the quality of the brand and, thanks to decades of know-how, they know how to meet the different needs of an expanding sector.

In 2020 and 2021 pet population growth in developed markets, and saw a major pivot in ownership to higher income households. The Pet Food industry is therefore experiencing a robust growth, as the owners are spending more on the keeping of their pets.

The average cost of Pet Food products has experienced a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% in the last 10 years and is projected to grow by 4.1% in the next five years. Volpak has the right expertise to effectively overcome the challenges of the sector, offering a wide portfolio of solutions, both for pre-made pouch packaging and form fill seal machines.

Pet food in pouches: practical and popular

This type of flexible packaging offers several advantages, such as convenience, a large capacity and, if produced with the correct materials, a long shelf life. It is the ideal choice for the packaging of dry products (kibble or treats), as well as semi-moist products (meat-based food), or liquids (soups). Pouch packaging is usually made by FFS (Form Fill Seal) machines, such as the ones designed by Volpak, which boasts more than 40 years of experience in this field. FFS machines span all the stages, from forming to filling to hermetic sealing.

The right expertise to meet industry needs

In the case of liquid pet food packaging, it’s essential to be able to count on machines capable of guaranteeing the highest precision in the pouch forming and sealing stages, in addition to a careful handling of the packaging. These are mainly low-capacity pouches, usually around 200 ml, typically used for mid to high end packaging and products, sold predominately in developed markets.

On the other hand, dry products, such as kibble, require machines that can work at high speeds and with large formats, half a kilo and above. The specific solutions designed for FFS packaging also allow a more efficient offsetting of the initial investment, ensuring the same quality and characteristics of pre-formed packages - mostly used in Us & Asian markets - in terms of shelf-life. The reels of packaging material are less expensive than pre-formed pouches and allow to save material, which benefits the environment as well.

Sustainable and convenient quality

Sustainability is, in fact, another important issue. When it comes to this issue, Volpak’s machines can offer a competitive advantage since they can employ environmentally friendly mono-materials for the packaging stage. Pouches are also a convenient type of packaging in terms of layout, since there is no empty, unused space inside them. This also reduces transportation costs.

All of this is possible without sacrificing quality: pouches made with Volpak’s machines typically feature a double sealing system, the first one ensures an effective hermetic sealing and is produced by an ultrasound system, but this is not all. To be more aesthetically appealing, Volpak’s packaging also include a second sealing system, which is produced by a heat-sealing tool and serves mainly an aesthetic function.