Quebec yogurt producer quick off the mark to update its product coding and packaging competencies with laser product-coding technology and high-speed industrial automation
Liberté Brand Products Co. Hyacinthe Plant Manager Normand Champagne poses alongside a Markem-Imaje model 7031 HD laser coder linked up to the ES500 fume extractor, which instantly eliminates the tiny fumes and particles generated by laser beam burning through the top surface layer to create permanent marks and product codes.
Anyone who has recently glanced at the dairy aisle of a grocery store would be hard-pressed not to have noticed that the yogurt section has more or less taken over as the aisle’s new dominant bestseller seemingly overnight.
Which in retrospect seems only inevitable—thanks to the product’s inherent and virtually unrivaled ability to combine an inexpensive, delicious and nutritious taste experience in small, single-serve plastic cups that provide a delicious ‘good-for-you’ snack or meal-time option both at home and on-the-go.
And while yogurt has been on mankind’s menu in one form or another for an estimated 4,500 years, its long-awaited embrace by western consumer societies as a highly functional and super-healthy product is a fairly recent development.
But better late than never.
A Markem-Imaje 7031 HD laser coder safely marks the tops of 24 yogurt lids in less than one second on the Erca filling line.
Loaded with the so-called ‘good bacteria’ required for maintaining a healthy digestive tract, modern-day yogurt is truly a unique dairy staple that packs a formidable mix of the much-needed proteins, calcium, vitamins B-2 and B-12, potassium and magnesium that are considered to be essential ingredients for maintaining a healthy body and appearance.
In fact, some yogurt aficionados have been known to apply it to their skin to achieve smoother texture, as well using it as polish for candlesticks.
So all in all, it’s fair to say that there has never been a better time to be in the yogurt business for the St. Hubert, Que.-headquartered Liberté Brand Products Co. than now.
Founded in 1936, the company manufactures a broad range of delicious all-natural, organic and specialty dairy products—specializing in the many varieties and flavors of yogurt created in an artisan-like fashion.
The CPS 50 complete robotic packaging station built by Automation Robotic Packaging automatically moves multipacks of yogurt products onto the paperboard sleeve assembly unit.
Operating distribution centers in St. Hubert, Brampton, Ont., and Richmond, B.C., as well as two large production facilities in Toronto and St. Hyacinthe, Que., the company is also a highly-reputed producer of cream cheese and cottage cheese originally developed specifically to serve the dietary needs of the large Jewish community in the Montreal area, according to Normand Champagne, plant manager of the 120,000-square-foot, 160-employee St. Hyacinthe facility.
“Liberté was formed by a family of Russian Jews fleeing persecution at home who first arrived New York City, where they were deeply inspired by the majesty of the Statue of Liberty,” Champagne told Canadian Packaging in a recent interview.
“So after moving to Canada to start their dairy business, producing cream cheese and cottage cheese, they named it after the iconic statue of freedom.”
A Markem-Imaje 7031 HD laser coder adds permanent coding by removing a layer of ink from the sealed surface to apply best-before dates and time of packaging information.
After gaining a solid reputation and renown as a top-notch traditional and artisan manufacturer of dairy products, the company eventually relocated to a bigger premises in Brossard, Que., continuing to produce its popular cream cheese but also adding yogurt to the menu, Champagne relates.
And while the company still strictly adheres to its original artisan roots and traditional craftsmanship stressing product quality and purity above all else, the sheer volume of yogurt it produces and markets nowadays is quite simply breathtaking—driven by the phenomenal market success achieved in recent years by its popular Méditerranée and Greek yogurt brands.
“Our St. Hyacinthe plant produces over one-million kilograms of yogurt every week,” states Champagne.