As diverse as modern consumer tastes: "Kelda" product range hits the spot

For the modern consumer, eating and drinking is no longer just about taking in nutrients and “fuel” for living. Today’s consumers want to enjoy their food and drink, and their attention is turning to products that are natural and healthy, while at the same time being convenient to use and fitting in with people’s individual preferences. To respond to these demands as effectively as possible, Swedish-Danish company Arla Foods has chosen aseptic carton packs for the relaunch and expansion of its Kelda product range and is taking advantage of the flexibility of the SIG Combibloc filling system to do this. Soups, sauces and dips are now being offered in a range of package sizes and volumes and it is not just the taste and the product quality that are convincing consumers to buy the new range, but also the bright, contemporary design. With further product innovations in the pipeline, the Kelda brand is on course for success.

“For Swedish consumers, Kelda products have become synonymous with great taste. The brand’s first ready-made sauces hit the Swedish market in 1998, followed in 2002 by the launch of ready-made soups. So we’ve had a hand in shaping the development of the market for convenience products in Sweden and given this market a significant boost “, says Michaela Wickman, Category Manager for Kelda at Arla Foods. Now Europe’s biggest dairy group, Arla Foods was formed in 2000 by the merger of Danish company MD Foods and Sweden’s Arla Group. Products from Arla Foods are consumed in virtually every country in the world.

In 2002, international market research institute ACNielsen awarded the Kelda range of soups its accolade for ‘Launch of the Year’ following its introduction on the Swedish market. In judging the products, criteria such as quality, degree of innovation, marketing, market share and overall impression were assessed.

A bit of innovation: ‘bits ’n pieces’

For Arla Foods, being successful means picking up on current developments and future trends: “The market for ready-to-eat convenience products is really booming, and we’re aiming to keep it fresh with regular launches of innovative products that give modern consumers what they really want. Products need to offer mouth-watering taste sensations, they need to be convenient to use in everyday life and they also have to be natural and healthy. Against this background, we’ve now expanded the Kelda product range to include the ‘bits ’n pieces’ concept. It’s based on the idea of offering soups and sauces that contain a high proportion of chunky particulates – perhaps vegetables or morsels of protein-rich meat. To achieve this, we’re using the flexible filling system from SIG Combibloc, which makes it possible to package products like these aseptically in carton packs and in a variety of volumes. Consumers can select from the range of product types and sizes on offer according to their own tastes and how much of the product they need“, says Michaela Wickman.

Three filling machines from SIG Combibloc are now in operation at the company’s premises, filling top-quality Kelda products into combiblocCompact 300, 400 and 500 ml, combiblocStandard 750 ml and combiblocMaxi 2,000 ml. As well as improving established Kelda products such as Sauce Bearnaise with new recipe formulations, the company has introduced creative new product varieties that are tailored to the taste buds of traditional consumers, but also designed to appeal to those in search of something a little more exotic: with names like Amazing Asparagus, Spicy Thai, Chicken Carib, Chunky Mushroom, Oriental Curry, Tender Tomato and Fabulous Fish, the new crème soups from Kelda, with their reduced fat content of just four or five per cent, are also perfect for the figure-conscious consumer. There are new pasta sauces in Carbonara Crush (with Parmesan and ham), Simply Cheese and Tomato Treat varieties and cooking sauces that can also be eaten as salad dressings or creamy dips, in Creamy Classic, Crema Balsamico, Heavenly Herbs, Lovely Lemon, Smooth Mushroom and Chili Lime flavours.

Michaela Wickman: “We’ve chosen a bright, modern design for the whole range. The carton pack, with its four printable display surfaces, is perfect for reaching the consumer using images and text. In addition, the carton pack itself reflects the naturalness of our products – it’s made from 75 per cent wood pulp, so it’s based on a sustainable raw material. And in our recipes, we use balanced, low-fat combinations of natural ingredients that are right in tune with the times and offer a time-saving alternative to freshly prepared meals for the health-conscious consumer who is also keeping on eye on his or her figure“.

Flexible and economical

With the expansion of its Kelda product range, in addition to Sweden the company is now focusing on Finland and Denmark. “Demand for convenience products varies slightly in the northern European countries and the product and volume flexibility of the SIG Combibloc filling machines really helps us out here. Flexibility is a key factor in being able to respond to prevailing market needs while at the same time keeping production profitable“, says Michaela Wickman. On the SIG Combibloc filling machines, for all formats switching to a different fill volume takes just two minutes, with a few simple adjustments to the settings. There is no need to re-sterilise the machine or change machine parts. The rapid volume changeover ensures optimal use of machine capacity and keeps machine downtimes to a minimum.

In addition, their flexibility makes the SIG Combibloc filling machines extremely versatile. Because SIG Comibloc carton packs are sealed above the fill level only after the product has been filled into them, it is not only liquid foods that can be used – pasty and chunky foods such as soups, sauces and tomato products can be aseptically filled into the cartons packs, too. Arla Foods is taking advantage of this feature for the Kelda range. Michaela Wickman: “By investing in this equipment, we now have numerous options open to us for the ongoing expansion of the Kelda range“.