Commenting on his company’s recently announced contract with C&D Foods, ProAmpac CEO Greg Tucker hailed the development as “a significant sourcing arrangement and more.”
The contract announced May 17 establishes ProAmpac’s facility in County Donegal, Ireland, as the strategic supplier of flexible petfood packaging for C&D, the pet food division of ABP Food Group, one of Europe’s leading food group processors.
“This is an opportunity for our firms to collaborate in developing leading-edge packaging innovations in Ireland and across Europe. But it is also a partnership that will facilitate expansion of production and employment at ProAmpac Donegal and reposition our facility there as a global hub for sustainable packaging innovation for both petfood as well as ready-to-eat meals,” said John McDermott, Operations Director, ProAmpac Donegal.
“Our partnership is well along the path of collaborative innovation,” mentioned Tucker, referring to the Collaborative Innovation process in which the ProAmpac development teams work alongside customer counterparts to accelerate packaging advances. The two companies are in trials with a sustainable petfood pouch that will be launched later this year. The pouch will be fully recyclable when new advanced recyclable solutions are introduced into many European markets.
The ProAmpac Donegal facility (which merged with the former Rapid Action Packaging) is situated in Gaoth Dobhair (also referred to as Gweedore), a part of County Donegal. ProAmpac Donegal has a 24-year history of delivering innovative and sustainable cellulose-based packaging products for fresh prepared and ready-to-eat food-to-go. Comprehensive packaging offerings include sandwich packs, trays, wraps, and soft wraps for standard flow wrap machines.
The contract and the new-product collaboration were announced May 17 at a County Donegal event attended by Charlie McConalogue, Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine; representatives of the regional development authority, Údarás na Gaeltachta; John McDermott, ProAmpac Donegal, and C&D Foods Managing Director Colm Dore and Chief Financial Officer Francis Minogue.
“ProAmpac is innovative and forward looking in its approach, and the development of sustainable packaging is fully aligned with C&D’s strategic objectives. We look forward to working with them for many years to come,” Dore said. C&D Foods is one of the largest private label petfood manufacturers in Europe. Headquartered in Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland, it employs 452 people in Ireland and a 1,148 more in seven European countries
