rends and innovations are two driving forces in every aspect of our industry, from root to register, and everything in between. The result of a two-year-long, ongoing project, the Stand Up Combo bag is the latest in both trends AND innovations, as the newest addition to the lineup of innovator and inventor Fox Packaging. With more than half a century of invention under its belt, the Fox family has helped introduce a new form of packaging, ensuring that items are as fresh as possible throughout the entire journey.
“Pouch bags are a growing trend driven by consumers, adding not just to that segment of our business, but to the industry as a whole,” Executive Vice President of Fox Packaging, Aaron Fox, shares with me. “Consumers, retailers...everyone is benefiting from it.”
This all-around benefit, according to Aaron, is what prompted Fox Packaging to get into the pouch bag game.
“It’s a natural progression for the Combo bag,” Aaron says, explaining that some segments of produce need to breathe more than others. “There is a need for more ventilation in a pouch bag. It’s not enough to have just a few holes in a bag.”
And with its proprietary technology and design, which is not laminated and, thus, recyclable, Fox Packaging is able to improve the expanding packaging practice to further extend the shelf-life of fresh produce, effectively reducing shrink and making for a more presentable package in the department.
Closing in on 51 years of business, the company that began as a one-man-band in a carrot shed now serves up timely and helpful solutions to supply chain needs and trends across the globe.
“We helped to improve the poly bag segment by, essentially, inventing the Combo bag. In doing this, we basically created a new category by improving on the basic design,” Aaron says.
With several global patents in bag design, this is just the latest addition to a string of proprietary technologies and innovations that has cultivated the company’s growth. A unified brainchild of all three leaders and brothers, Keith, Craig, and Aaron, I ask: why create a Combo pouch bag?
Aaron explains that several categories benefit in both shelf-life and freshness from the increased ventilation given in a Fox Packaging Combo bag.
“From the potato industry, to citrus, to plenty of others, I believe most produce benefits from this packaging, which means there are a few ways that this category can keep growing,” Aaron says.
These are words coming from one of the members of a family-run business with entrepreneurship running through its veins, and a mantra of maintaining a culture of innovation. Therefore, when Aaron tells me he sees expansive room for growth, I can’t help but believe him.
Already, Fox offers a number of options for the category, from a half pound to 25 pounds, depending on the bag and product, with a variety colors. Some are available with multiple seal options, all with high-quality process printing and high-graphic label options. Bags are made using a durable, breathable design, with the goal of convenience for all its customers.
“We can consistently be depended on to meet high volumes and give our customers a strong manufacturing base,” Aaron sums up for me, adding that the company has everything from distribution to in-house design, and, as its history has shown, innovation to offer any who come knocking.
Hand-in-hand with the Combo bags is another new technology from Fox Packaging's sister company, Fox Solutions: the new stainless steel construction Pouch Bagger.
"When it comes to the growing pouch bag trend, we saw a way to help save our customers both time and money by creating a more sustainable solution to packing pouch bags," Aaron tells me of the launch, which was gathering an interested crowd on the busy show floor at this year's PMA Fresh Summit.
State-of-the-art, stainless, and durable, the machine is maintenance and tool free, and comes with all the bells and whistles needed to answer pouch bag packaging needs you always knew you had.
Aaron continues, “Now, more than ever, we’re seeing how quickly our industry evolves, and the team is actively invested in continuously developing to help that evolution and, ultimately, do our part to help increase our customers’ efficiency, sustainability, and sales.”
With a deep commitment to help members of the industry continually improve their businesses, and to pushing forward in creativity and innovation, keep your eye on the horizon for what Fox Packaging has next for the vehicle that delivers fresh produce to its destination.
