Scooping with a Smile

Dairy Foods, May, 2001

Put on your consumer hat and think about the many times you wanted to serve ice cream as dessert but were discouraged by the potential scooping mess. Well, con sumers buying ice cream in the new half-gallon EZ Scoop[TM] container don't have this problem. In fact, one customer called Superior Dairy Inc., Canton, Ohio, which uses the container to say: "I had guests over for dinner and when it came time to serve dessert, I set the EZ Scoop in the middle of the table. At first, everyone just stared, and after a minute, they all commented that they were impressed with the package and said it was about time."

Other consumer comments include: "Such a clever container. I'm very happy someone finally developed this;" "This is the greatest invention yet. It fits so nice in the freezer. I have so many ideas on how to reuse it;" and "Finally a company that knows what the consumer likes."

The last comment puts a smile on the face of Greg Soehnlen, v.p. operations for Creative Edge Design Group Ltd, a sister company to Superior Dairy, located adjacent to the dairy. Creative Edge prides itself in thinking outside of the box, and listening to what consumers expect from food packaging, Soehnlen says.

"When it came to an ice cream container, consumers told us they wanted a container that was easy to scoop from, reusable and sat well in the freezer. EZ Scoop does just that," Soehnlen says. "Retailers like EZ Scoop too, because they can fit more SKUS in the freezer window."

This is because the EZ Scoop container, which is nearly square and much flatter than other package designs, is displayed on its side rather than on its bottom. This enables retailers to add an extra shelf into the freezer. It also creates a billboard effect for marketing ice cream. Because it's not as deep as a round or squround, consumers don't knock their wrists against the edge of the carton as they scoop.

"The package also has an over wrap, which helps insulate the ice cream," Soehnlen says. "This not only assists in maintaining quality through potential freeze-thaw situations, it also tells consumers that the product is safe." It acts as a tamper-evident seal.

The EZ Scoop package and process is patented by Creative Edge and available for licensing. Containers and lids are blow-molded at the ice cream manufacturing site, which reduces a dairy's pack aging inventory and, hence, dry storage warehousing. Containers are extrusion filled, which enables manufacturers to be more creative visually with the product.

"Superior Dairy has experienced a 38 to 45% increase in sales with EZ Scoop, as compared to private label paperboard, in the various markets where it is sold either under the Superior Dairy brand or other store brands," Soehnlen adds.

"This summer there will be quite a few regional dairies introducing EZ Scoop. In addition, we are working on other versions of EZ Scoop, including different sizes," he concludes.