Chocolate startup uses paper packaging

Founded in 2016, the German-based chocolate startup nucao is shaking up the market when it comes to chocolate sustainability. It is also now using primary packaging made from paper for its fruit and nut chocolate products.

nucao’s vegan products are made using organic ingredients and fair trade, ecologically cultivated cocoa. Its packaging is now also environmentally friendly.

The flexible paper packaging Koehler NexPlus Advanced from Koehler Paper has a good oxygen, mineral oil and grease barrier, which is necessary for applications where there is direct contact with chocolate and nuts.

Christoph Wachter, Head of the Flexible Packaging Paper division at Koehler Paper, said: “We are delighted that nucao is relying on our innovative barrier paper for its chocolate-coated fruit and nut products and that nucao is leading the way in its market with this move.”

Koehler Paper presented its initial mock-ups for a 100 g chocolate bar using its new product at the industry trade fair FachPack in Nuremberg, Germany, in late September 2022.

In early 2021, Koehler Paper launched new secondary packaging on the market with Koehler NexPlus Seal, which has since been used by numerous brand owners. The latest innovation from Koehler, NexPlus Advanced, is an evolution of the Koehler Paper’s barrier concept, with the aim of replacing plastic as a packaging material where appropriate.

The latest packaging product’s oxygen mineral oil and grease barrier makes it suitable for direct contact with food. It also has good printing properties in gravure, flexographic and digital printing, which is important when it comes to product communication with the end consumer. Compared to traditional plastic packaging, flexible paper packaging can reduce the CO₂ footprint significantly and also provides a positive image transfer to the product and company brand.

The packaging used for nucao products means it is 100% made from paper and can be placed in the paper recycling after use.

Mathias Schwarz, Sustainable Packaging Engineer at nucao, said: “We opted for Koehler NexPlus Advanced 75 g after extensive tests. In addition to product protection, which was assessed using storage tests with a subsequent sensory analysis, the fact that the paper could be recycled in the paper recycling was an important factor. Another important point for us was its rating of 19 out of a possible 20 points from the environment service provider Interseroh.”

Brand-name manufacturers and packing companies looking to change to recyclable paper packaging often have to absorb significant costs; however, according to Koehler, switching from plastic to paper packaging does not require any significant investment. Wachter added: “In many cases, you simply need to adjust a few parameters on existing packaging machinery to optimise the sealing temperatures or sealing times, for instance. But these are all straightforward measures.”