Versatile closure design for spice package

Consumers don’t like being told what to do. Some prefer to pour their spices; others prefer to use a spoon.

McCormick’s packaging engineers in France took their consumers’ needs into consideration when they were designing a new spice package with a wider neck and wider access. The engineers chose the Wetherchem FlapMate closure as the traditional single-method sift cap on the package wouldn’t truly satisfy all of their customers.

“Weatherchem’s FlapMate closure not only fit the dimensions on our new wider bottle, but its design allows a customer to either pour [from or] put a teaspoon inside our glass container,” explained Natalie Jacqmin of McCormick, who’s part of the package development team in France working on the project.

FlapMate closures provide a good solution for spice manufacturers, appealing to consumer interest in convenience and food safety. The butterfly hinge design allows for easy opening and closing with one hand. Some closures allow the hinge to flap down during dispensing, making it more difficult to control during pouring and creating spills. FlapMate’s lid provides good flow because it is specially engineered to stay in the full, open position providing greater control over product dispensing.

With a tight close that’s sift-resistant, the closure provides an audible ‘snap’, confirming for the consumer the product is safe and fresh.

The raised deck dispensing platform keeps the surface clean, and its one-piece design is simple for the manufacturer to use as there are no detached parts to track or assemble during capping operations.

Jacqmin, who said McCormick is creating the new package as part of a private label project for the UK, noted that the FlapMate’s 43 mm dimension was important to the project, as most spice bottles in France are typically 38 mm.

“We considered creating a mould to manufacture the new closure ourselves,” she noted, “but the quantities and time-to-market didn’t really allow for that decision. We knew Weatherchem had a product that would suit our needs immediately, with the right dimensions, finish and colours, and we didn’t want to delay the project by 12 months by bringing it in-house.”

In fact, Jacqmin’s team asked Weatherchem to create customised colours - brown, blue, orange, green and pink - on the closure to accommodate their branding objectives. After initial test runs and customer approvals, the colours were approved as a good quality match and the project received official approval to move forward.

FlapMate is part of Weatherchem’s improved sustainability solutions for customers. The cap is an unlined closure that is 100% recyclable and manufactured with fewer materials and has a lighter weight than other alternatives, which saves on shipping costs.