A berry box must be strong and distinctive

The expedition of berries from the field to the end user often interests several stages. The box must be long-lasting, protect the berries, even in changing conditions, and help the consumer get the fresh berries safely.

Adara Pakkaus Oy, which has been manufacturing corrugated packaging in Finland since 1933, is aware of the requirements of this industry. One of its new products is a box made from uncoated kraft liner, which combines top-quality print with a natural feel and gives great strength.

“Berries are often transported in large quantities from farms to markets and supermarkets, so the box structure needs to be particularly robust. Thanks to the fresh fiber materials used to manufacture the boxes, moisture-resistant adhesive, and sturdy construction, the boxes are easy to handle and have a high stacking strength even in varying conditions,” says Mikko Järvinen, Adara’s Head of Manufacturing and Development.

“The corrugated cardboard box can be easily recycled, and the primary fiber packaging is valuable for recycling thanks to the strong fibers used in its construction.”

The box’s design was based on contrasting colors, with green and red accentuating each other. This makes the red berries, in particular, stand out beautifully. The dark base color fades out any marks caused by the berries, keeping the overall look neat and beautiful.

The box was printed on a new Göpfert Ovation printing press, and MetsäBoard Natural WKL Bright 160 g/m2 was chosen for the surface liner.

“Often, uncoated liners are printed using vector graphics, but now, with Adara’s new, modern, and highly register-accurate press, introduced last year, the right raster can be optimized for each job, depending on the board quality and printing theme. The result is photographic printing even on uncoated liners and bigger flute profiles – like the C flute on our new berry box,” says Lari Seppälä, Printing Manager of Adara.

The challenge with thicker corrugated profiles is traditionally the so-called washboard phenomenon, where the difference in height between the valley and bottom of the flute and the surface liner causes a difference in print tones. “With Metsä Board’s high-quality kraft liner and Marvaco’s FullHD flat top dot printing plates optimized for our press, this phenomenon can be significantly reduced, and a high-quality result is achieved,” Seppälä continues. “When using Metsä Board’s liner, the line count of the board can also be raised higher than usual because the flatter the corrugated surface, the higher the line count that can be used.

Improving the line count now affects the overall appearance of the print, as the higher the line count, the sharper the image. A high-quality kraft liner and a top-quality printing press allow a high-quality image to be printed, even on uncoated surfaces.”