Mondi Shows New Ice Cream Cone Sleeve

Mondi

Ever since Mondi scooped up Turkish flexible packaging manufacturer Kalenobel via a July 2016 acquisition, it has eyed the ice cream sector as a major growth opportunity. Now known as Mondi Kalenobel, the Istanbul-based business took on a customer challenge – to produce a paper ice cream cone sleeve that contained a clear plastic window, allowing the consumer to see the sugar wafer cone underneath. The company was approached in 2016 by family-owned sugar-cone maker Oexmann GmbH & Co. KG of Gelsenkirchen, Germany, who wondered if it could be done.

“We were the only supplier to accept this challenge,” says Sedat Igbar, commercial manager – Europe for Mondi Kalenobel. “We worked step by step with Oexmann and developed and patented a cone sleeve that lets ice cream lovers see the goodness inside. The first commercial products hit the shelves this past May.”

Oexmann, which first began making ice cream cones in Gelsenkirchen in 1926, ships these special sleeves half-way around the world to Auckland-based ice cream producer Fonterra Brands (New Zealand) Ltd., which is using them to package some of their premium cones.

The oval clear window on the cone sleeve measures 2.3 cm high by 1.8 cm wide, explains Igbar, and is made of biodegradable film, per Oexmann’s wishes. For Oexmann’s customer – New Zealand ice cream producer Fonterra – Mondi developed a unique window sleeve design that represents an untapped branding opportunity for the company’s premium cones.

“We’re focused on finding the solution –– even if it takes six months or a year,” stressed Igbar. “Mondi also has shown the ability to create convenient, easy-to-open packages to generate impulse purchases, as well as various sustainable solutions. We are truly a one-stop shop and major player in the ice cream packaging market.”