Nextera Packaging

11/18/2022

Ice cream just became more sustainable in Norway!

Previously, carbon black plastic food packaging was not recyclable as the material was hard to detect and sort properly at processing facilities.

Not anymore.

Berry Global has created a new non-carbon black container for Norwegian ice cream producer Diplom-Is' Royal brand. This container features special pigments in the material that help technologies, like Near-Infra-Red scanners, recognize and sort the containers at recycling facilities.

Check out Berry's solution - https://bit.ly/3APmWdN

*Photo from Berry Global Inc.

10/26/2022

We saw it. We explored it. We experienced… !

It was a quick jet in and jet out of Chicago for the Nextera team, but it was still incredible to see the latest and greatest in packaging, connect with new and familiar faces, and even pose with a cardboard Delorean!

Till next year, !

10/21/2022

Let’s talk about the gap.

No, not the clothing store, but the gap food processors and packers face when trying to select and purchase food packaging.

On one side, you have food packaging distributors who provide convenient access to multiple manufacturers’ product lines. Unfortunately, where they shine in choice and convenience, they may lack in a more nuanced knowledge of product specifications and performance.

On the other side, you have manufacturers who know their own products inside and out, but may not know other product lines as thoroughly or may not want to recommend a competitor’s product to a client (and rightly so).

Herein lies the pain point for food processors and packers.

Fortunately, it’s one we solve.

On the surface Nextera operates as a finely tuned distributor. Choice? Check. Convenience? Check.

BUT we take things further by infusing a manufacturer-level understanding of the products we sell. Expertise? Check.

By design, we bridge the food packaging gap—eliminating the pain point of having to choose between the choice and convenience of a distributor and the expertise of a manufacturer.

Facing a food packaging gap of your own? https://www.nexterapackaging.com/why-nextera

09/16/2022

Recently we launched a brand new website!

This website wasn't just about sharing what and how we do what we do. It was also about showcasing the heart of WHY we do what we do!

To us, packaging is a powerful point of connection between food and people. It's a part of what gets cut pineapple, fresh salads, and your favorite dark chocolate peanut butter cups to store shelves and to your table.

Simply put, we're passionate about our role in that connection!

Check out our website to get a taste of that passion and how it helps us take food packers' and processors' packaging to the next level!

Explore - www.nexterapackaging.com

09/01/2022

3 Packaging Tips for Successful Salading! (Yes, that’s a word now.)

1. Keep it Clean and Clear ✨
Seeing is believing. Don’t let your packaging get between your customers eyes and the beautiful colors and textures of your fresh salad. Explore crystal clear containers with clean side walls and no ribbing.

2. Embrace the Insert 👀
Inserts create visual interest for your salad and help show off your highest cost ingredients to your customer (think: proteins, nuts). Additionally, they help many ingredients stay fresher, longer. Inserts come in a variety of creative layouts too.

3. Go Tamper-Evident 🔒
Keep your customers and those leafy greens safe and secure by choosing containers with tamper-evident features like tear strips and button locks. Bonus: the right TE packaging is really satisfying to open.

Happy (successful) salading!

08/26/2022

Food packaging materials love acronyms. Like CPET. What is it? And what does it mean? IDK.

CPET stands for crystalized polyethylene terephthalate. As its name suggests, CPET is PET, a common form of recyclable plastic, that has been crystalized. This results in increased:

🛡 Durability
🔥❄️ Temperature resistance (-40-400 degrees)

Paired with the right film or lid, CPET becomes a powerhouse perfect for:

👉 Microwaveable/Ovenable meals
👉 Frozen meals
👉 Food delivery services
👉 An alternative to aluminum trays

When you need food packaging that can stand up to harsh conditions, especially temperatures, CPET may become your new BFF.

07/28/2022

Is less plastic always better for the environment? 🌱

Can you even ask that question in a 2022 world?

Toby Green did.

Green owns Elysian Foods, a dip manufacturer in New Zealand. 🇳🇿

Back in 2017, when he first purchased the company, he wanted to figure out a way to reduce plastic waste. 🙌

In fact, Elysian Foods was so committed to plastic reduction that they “vowed that if he [Toby Green] and his staff couldn’t solve the issue, they would simply shut down.”

They. Would. Simply. Shut. Down.

With those HIGH stakes in mind, Elysian started a journey to explore plastic packaging alternatives. 🧭

What they soon realized was that the conversation surrounding plastics and /eco-friendliness is one that is far more complex than “plastic = bad.”

Finding food packaging solutions that are more HOLISTICALLY sustainable or often require greater context and more information to make truly informed choices. ♻️

For example:

- In the United States, many plastic materials, like PET, are easily recycled again and again.
- Some packaging marketed as “compostable” requires specific conditions to decompose—aka the compost bin in your backyard won’t cut it.
- Food packaging materials that are considered “more eco-friendly” sometimes have a larger carbon footprint to produce than certain forms of plastic.

Again, finding truly sustainable/eco-friendly solutions requires CONTEXT and information to account for an array of variables and considerations. 🔍

Sometimes compostable fiber is the right call. In other situations, it may be PET plastic. In other situations, it may be another solution entirely (e.g. glass, bring your own reusable container).

Where did Toby Green and Elysian Foods’ end up? The article below may surprise you. 🤯

*It's a long article, but worth it!

What happened when a dip manufacturer tried to swap plastic pots for a greener alternative.

07/20/2022

It all started with a sandwich wedge (well, sort of)!

The year was 1976. It was America’s bicentennial, Rocky dominated the box office, and we entered the world of . We’ll let you guess which of the 3 received the most press coverage.

In those days, we sold packaging primarily to vending companies who weren’t just packing machines full of Snickers and Lay’s potato chips. We’re talking spinning carousels of sandwiches and salads too. Think the break room from (cue theme song).

For years our world was the sandwich wedges and sandwich/bun trays circling behind the viewing glass, waiting for the correct combination of buttons to be pressed and change to be inserted.

Things have changed since then. We still sell sandwich wedges, but those wedges are now sold alongside THOUSANDS of other food packaging products geared toward serving the needs and elevating the capabilities of food processors and packers.

We haven’t forgotten our vending roots. And we haven’t forgotten all we owe to the sandwich wedge.

07/19/2022

Craving snack solutions? Us too!

07/13/2022

Has polypropylene ever looked better?

07/12/2022

Nextera Packaging entered the packaging world in 1976 via vending.

As Nextera grew, many in our space continued to add more categories of packaging to their offerings.

Nextera chose a different path.

For over 45 years, we’ve specialized in .

We couldn't just sell it. We had to KNOW it...inside and out.

07/11/2022

Welcome to the next era of !

After months of preparation, we’re proud to unveil a new visual identity and website as well as active social media channels.

However, what we’re most excited about isn’t our new logo or color palette (although we dig both), it’s the deeper work we’ve done that casts a bold vision for all that’s next for us and our clients.

At the center of this deep work was four words: connecting food to people. We realized that’s what truly does. It connects. It gets food to shelves and tables. And it’s why every time we supply packaging, recommend new products, or solve challenges with our clients, we feel like we’re tapping into something greater than simply doing our jobs.

It became clear that this feeling wasn’t just a passion, but a purpose: to connect food to people through beautiful, safe, and sustainable packaging. More than any logo, that’s the core of our brand. And that’s what fuels our next era.

Our next era is here! Start exploring it by visiting – www.nexterapackaging.com