Amcor has announced the introduction of Vento, an advanced packaging system with built-in venting control for ground coffee and whole beans.
Degassing freshly roasted coffee has been a major challenge that has plagued the coffee industry for decades. Up until now, the solution to this problem was to apply hard valves that allow CO2 to escape the pack. However, this process added parts, machinery, complexity and ultimately costs to the coffee packing process.
According to Amcor, Vento is the only coffee packaging system delivered to roasters with the degassing system already applied.
To validate Vento’s capabilities, the company tested it with six pilot customers who analysed how well the material ran, and how well it protected their coffee’s freshness using shelf-life tests.
“We agreed to participate in the pilot because the idea of eliminating hard valves was very appealing. The process of applying hard valves always created some difficulty in production, so Vento™ came at just the right time,” said Mr Søren Sylvest, co-owner of Copenhagen Roaster, a leading Danish coffee producer.
“The pilot ran smoothly and the performance of the system is impressive; it does the job perfectly. We also loved that it allowed us to move our venting system to the back of the pack.”
Pilot customers noted a number of benefits from switching to Vento, including reduced downtime and less production waste.
The data gathered during the pilots showed that roasters running three shifts on one machine could save on average 280 hours of downtime and up to 10% cost savings annually thanks to increased production efficiency, depending on machine model and the type of hard valve being replaced.
In addition to simplifying the packaging process, Vento also demonstrated high capabilities in terms of preserving the freshness of the product.
“A high barrier coating on the Vento™ system prevents oxygen from entering the pack,” Amcor said in a press release.
“As coffee starts to degas, the pressure inside the pack pushes a small venting layer open and CO2 flows out. As soon as degassing is complete, the venting layer returns to its original position, preventing oxygen from entering and keeping the coffee fresh.”
In addition to freshness and process efficiency, Amcor’s new advanced packaging system also offers sustainability advantages.
“It is up to 87% lighter weight than hard valves and allows energy savings by eliminating the need to power an applicator machine,” reads the press release.
“This results up to 8% reduction in overall carbon footprint for a 250 gram pack.”
Amcor said that Vento can be integrated on any of the company’s typical triplex laminates for coffee soft packs, and adapted to customers’ specifications.
