The company, which is based in Telford, UK, has also signed a partnership agreement with LK Plastics (Elkay Distributors) in the US to become the exclusive distributor of its Sirane Cooking and BBQ Bags.
Dri-Fresh and Fresh-Hold pads
Simon Balderson, managing director, Sirane, told FoodProductionDaily it has two sales and distribution warehouses in the US but this is the first time it plans to open a manufacturing plant there.
“We have had an extraordinary year with our Dri-Fresh range and our Fresh-Hold odour absorbent pads for meat, fish, fruit and cheese so we are investing in four production lines this year with two being installed in a manufacturing plant in the US and the other two in Europe.
“We also recently signed a deal with a large chicken manufacturer in the US but we had to sign a confidentiality agreement not to disclose who it is as chicken is a very competitive market in the States and the firm does not want to give its rivals an advantage in knowing they work with us.
“We believe we are the second largest absorbent pad manufacturer in Europe and our active pads have taken off in the last year. They can extend the shelf life of food or improve the quality of what is inside the packaging for example our anti-bacterial version is used in chicken packaging which potentially kills salmonella, and we are now testing it in fish applications.
”If we get these US companies onboard with our products the volumes in terms of sales will be significant. It’s a very exciting time for us.”
Bressor Cheese in France
Balderson added its Dri-Fresh Fresh-Hold absorbent cheese pads absorb excess moisture and whey within a pack to preserve the quality and freshness of packaged cheese and it currently supplies Bressor Cheese in France which has 120 cheese factories around the world.
The firm has also seen interest in its absorbent pads for fruit such as strawberries, allowing the product to breathe through a microporous surface allowing air to circulate whilst absorbing excess juices. The layer also provides cushioning which reduces sweating and bruising.
“We sell our fruit absorbent pads all over Europe and are now seeing interest on the west coast of America, Mexico and Chile. It’s especially important if you can get an extra days’ shelf life which is enormous in reducing food waste,” added Balderson.
Sirane specialises in absorbency and ovenable/microwaveable products, compostable packaging, films, boards and absorbent pads. Prodcuts include Sira-Cook, Sira-Crisp, Sira-Flex papers and films, and Sira-Form.
Recent developments include a nylon oven-ready packaging film which can be flow-wrapped and an odour-absorbent meat pad for vac-packed meat.
It has an additional manufacturing facility in Antalya, Turkey, as well as offices and warehousing in Cape Town, South Africa, offices in Singapore and Dubai.
Sirane will be exhibiting at IPPE in Atlanta from January 27-29 and Fruit Logistica in Berlin from February 5-7.