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PROCESS and PACKAGING Development
Welch's Technology Center

Process Development
By successfully transforming from laboratory to pilot plant then to production plant, Welch’s Process Development department has extensive experience bringing high-quality products to market. Our process development expertise includes:

• Grape juice-processing technology to ensure high quality flavor, color and clarity

• Juice and beverage processing to maintain product quality and ensure shelf stability from the plant to the consumer

• Jam and jelly processing for superior grape and fruit spreads

We have extensive experience in filtering, pasteurization and blending technologies. 

Process development works closely with product development to ensure the product consumers buy is the same high quality as that developed in the laboratory. Recently,
we shared processing and handling techniques with our Japanese partners, resulting in more stable finished goods in their market.

Packaging Development
Welch’s packaging development group leads the identification, development and commercialization of innovative packaging technologies to meet the needs of consumers and customers. 

Because packaging is critical both to consumer and customer acceptance and to maintaining product quality and integrity throughout the products' shelf life, Welch’s has invested in staying on the forefront of new packaging technologies. Our expertise includes:

• Hot filled multi-serve and single-serve juice PET packaging

• Polypropylene hot-fill single-serve packaging

• Hot-filled plastic packaging for fruit jams, jellies and spreads

• Refrigerated multi-serve and single-serve juice packaging

• Bulk concentrate containers

• Aseptic packaging in plastic and flexible packaging

We provide our products in a range of packaging types, including plastic bottles and jars, aluminum cans, refrigerated multi-serve cartons and single-serve aseptic boxes. We work closely with the top food-packaging suppliers globally to develop and commercialize these packaging technologies. The innovative results can be found around the world:

• Aseptic multi-serve PET bottles for juice products in Canada

• 10 oz. single-serve polypropylene juice packages in the U.S. and Hong Kong

• Squeezable plastic fruit spreads packaging in Canada and the U.S.

• New easy to use plastic open head pails for the bulk fruit concentrate in Japan

• Refrigerated multi-serve juice products in Puerto Rico

Some Packaging Success Stories

Hong Kong
When our packaging team developed a low-cost, consumer-preferred package (10 oz. polypropylene) for our domestic club store business, we also saw a fit for it in Hong Kong.  Country-specific labels were developed and product was exported to Hong Kong where it has been well received.

Japan
In response to a bulk customers' request, a new plastic drum was deployed which satisfied our customer’s needs.  We also switched from metal pails, which our partners and customers found inconvenient, to open-head plastic pails.

Canada
Given the overwhelming success of plastic packaging for our products in the United States, we worked with our Canadian partners to switch from glass to plastic in Canada.  The process was unique, using aseptic technology to fill multi-serve plastic packaging.  After a successful transition, we are now working to get our winning squeeze jelly packaging on shelves in Canada as well.