The two biggest cooperatives switch to Hinojosa's Octabox container
Two of the biggest tomato paste producing Spanish cooperatives, Las Marismas (Lebrija, near Seville) and Tomates del Guadiana (Santa Amalia, close to Badajoz), now pack their products in "Octabox" containers, a corrugated cardboard packaging solution designed and manufactured by Hinojosa Xàtiva.
This container is a bin made of corrugated carton intended for packing liquid content in aseptic bags of 220 liters, manufactured in a factory located in Valencia. This packaging system – a European pioneer project in which Las Marismas has invested EUR 1 million – will replace the metal bins used until now for transporting pastes. At the end of September, the company signed an agreement with the Hinojosa group, which is specialized in this sector, for the purchase of 400 000 new units of packaging. "The implementation of this new system will reduce environmental impact during the transport stage, as these bins made of card weigh only half the weight of what we have been using up to now," explained Juan Sánchez, President of Las Marismas.
Sustainability is one of the added values that this packaging system, which has been used for years for packing fruit concentrates, will contribute to the processed tomato sector, and Las Marismas and Tomates del Guadiana will now be able to pass it on to their tomato paste clients. This will allow both cooperatives to respond to expectations on the part of final users of their products, who demand greener packaging that satisfies the requirements of a circular economy.
With this "Octabox" system, Hinojosa Packaging is offering an innovative system that has been developed in collaboration with the electromechanical machine manufacturer Tecnobox, which enables corrugated card to be used for the industrial packaging and transport of tomato paste.
The innovative aspect of this product is the joint use of a 220-liter capacity corrugated card container with two further devices, the first of which carries out the filling of "Octabox bins", while the second automatically shapes the lid to the cardboard container.
According to Hinojosa, this system is particularly suited to big tomato paste producers because it allows them to achieve savings in terms of logistical and environmental costs.
The manufacturer explains that the Octabox offers an advantage in terms of cost because corrugated card packaging is 50% cheaper than other forms of packaging currently used in the food industry. It is also lighter, which reduces the energy required for transport, and it is more ecological, as the material used for manufacturing it (corrugated cardboard) is 100% recyclable.
With more than 40 years of experience, Las Marismas is one of the biggest food industry cooperatives in Andalusia. It is one of the leading national companies for the production of tomato paste, cotton fiber and other horticultural and grain crops. Since its creation, one of the guiding principles of its strategy has always been sustainability in a rural context, from both the economic and the environmental points of view. The company closed its 2018 financial year with revenue in excess of EUR 60 million.
As for the Tomates del Guadiana cooperative, its main business is the primary processing of the agricultural production of its members. It includes more than one hundred growers and has a processing capacity of 400 000 mT of raw tomatoes per year, which is approximately 8 200 mT per day.
Hinojosa operates 12 production plants in Spain and ended its 2018 financial year with revenue of EUR 399 million. The company's international presence is reinforced by its membership in the Blue Box Partners European alliance, made up of four family-owned companies that are leaders in their respective countries in the packaging sector, employing more than 9 500 people.
Source: alimarket.es, lavanguardia.com, foodnewslatam.com, infopack.es