Glory Farms Bares All in New Cans

McCall Farms recently became the first food manufacturer to roll out products packaged in fully transparent cans from Sonoco.

Effingham, SC-based McCall Farms is using the new technology to help launch Glory Farms, a brand of slow-cooked vegetables. The see-though "TruVue" cans are made by P-O-P design specialist Sonoco, Hartsville, SC.

The products recently rolled out to roughly 400 stores in the Kroger-owned Harris Teeter and independent Ingles Markets chains in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

The can is manufactured using patented technology and composed of a clear, multilayer plastic substrate. It also contains an easy-open lid and a metal bottom. The design has been successfully tested in high-temperature and high-pressure environments, according to Sonoco. The cans are able to run on existing packing equipment used for traditional metal cans, which minimizes the capital investment involved in making the switch.

Founded in 1838, family-owned McCall Farms produces farm-fresh canned vegetables and fruits. The company has roughly 1,000 employees in its 900,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and corporate offices in Effingham. In addition to Glory Farms, McCall distributes products nationally under four brands: Glory Foods, Margaret Holmes, Peanut Patch and Bruce’s Yams.

The new Glory Farms brand spans seven varieties of slow-cooked vegetables. McCall intends to expand distribution throughout 2017.

To help introduce the technology, Sonoco is distributing a white paper that examines the continued decline of center-store sales and the need for packaged goods companies to find ways to better stand out on the shelf. To read the paper, click on the link below.