Hormel's conversion to retortable cartons is the culmination of a 12-year quest by Tetra Pak.
Code-named Phoenix, Tetra Pak's Recart project traces back to 1992, when scientists and engineers at the Swedish firm first began working on a paperboard alternative to the retortable metal can. Nestle's pet food division began field testing Recart in 2001 (Food Engineering, April 2002), and France's Bonduelle significantly expanded its mixed vegetable trials earlier this year, but Hormel's program is Recart's grand coming-out party.
Twelve SKUs each of Hormel and Stagg brand chili began shipping from Hormel's flagship Beloit, WI, plant July 19 to distribution centers, where merchandising teams were poised to take the cartons to each retail account and sweep away the cans they are replacing from grocers' shelves (many of the cans will be donated to America's First Harvest).