Graham Packaging Wins DuPont Awards for Innovation

DuPont sponsors the annual competition with England's Campden and Charleywood Food Research Association and the Washington, D.C.-based National Food Products Association.

03/10/06 Graham Packaging Company, L.P., has won DuPont Awards for Innovation for a ketchup bottle created for Heinz North America and a single-serve apple juice bottle created for S. Martinelli & Company. The awards were presented recently in Wilmington, Delaware.

"Winning awards from this prestigious international competition is gratifying confirmation of our design expertise and our skill in listening to customers and creating packaging that successfully meets their needs," said Philip R. Yates, president and CEO of Graham Packaging.

The design of the Heinz ketchup bottle won a Gold Award in the food and beverage category. According to the award commentary, this PET (polyethylene terephthalate) container provides "a significantly more convenient means of storing, handling, and dispensing ketchup from large size containers (46 oz. and 64 oz.) than with conventional designs." Consumer testing showed this package design is "preferred 70:30 versus conventional designs." Heinz North America is based in Pittsburgh.

Winning a Silver Award in the food and beverage category was the design for a convenient single-serve apple juice container created for S. Martinelli & Company of Watsonville, California. The award commentary cited this apple- shaped PET design as "the first successful attempt at employing liquid nitrogen to purge the container headspace and pressurize a hot-fill beverage container." As a result, the bottle needs neither vacuum panels nor supporting ribs. Martinelli's also requested a label-free package, so all product information is embossed on the appealing, clear container.

DuPont sponsors the annual competition with England's Campden and Charleywood Food Research Association and the Washington, D.C.-based National Food Products Association.