Gourmet Trading Co. Wins WorldStar Packaging Award

Gourmet Trading Company, the Los Angeles-based distributor of asparagus, blueberries and blackberries in North America, has won the WorldStar Packaging Organisation’s WorldStar Award in the Food Category for its two-piece display-ready asparagus shipper.

The display will be honored at the WorldStar Award Presentation on May 9, 2013, in Sydney, Australia.  The company was eligible for the international competition after winning the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) 2012 AmeriStar Packaging Competition on April 5.

“We’re proud to be internationally recognized by the WorldStar Packaging Organisation for this display-ready asparagus box,” said Julia Inestroza, marketing director for Gourmet Trading Company. “It was a great opportunity for us to work with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s packaging department on a real world challenge and we’re ecstatic with the results: A box that saves time at the front end of the store and allows for fresher product and less shrink for retailers.”

The two-piece display-ready asparagus shipper was developed in 2010 by Gourmet Trading Company and California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo.

The package can be converted from a shipper to a display in seconds without the use of a box cutter.  The instructions make it easy for retail employees to separate the top from the tray; the tray can then be displayed on a 60 degree shelf creating a clean presentation. Additionally, a moisture pad at the bottom of the tray keeps the asparagus looking fresh. Overall, the package allows retailers to save time and money stocking shelves while preventing injury without the additional training of employees.

Founded in 1982, Gourmet Trading Company operates a state-of-the-art packing facility in Pasco, Wash., farms in Peru and California, and additional offices in Miami, Fla.; Pasco, Wash.; Calexico, Calif.; Bakersfield, Calif.; as well as in Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Japan, and Mexico.