Packaging Story
A sweet solution for when success creates a growing business challenge
The heavenly fragrance of fresh baked cookies drifted through Marietta, Georgia-based Cornerstone Cookie Gifts when they first fired up their commercial baking oven in 1997. Larry and Leigh Krasnoff spent many hours together in the kitchen; now they decided to transform their love of cooking into a new business. Each had separate careers, but the couple wanted to create something special, and they wanted to develop it together. They were able to scale their favorite recipes and processes to an industrial level, but they were seeking a business model that would permit them to focus on what they enjoyed most: baking cookies.
A familiar product but a unique business
Unlike retail or grocery store products, one of the unique aspects of the cookie-as-gift approach was the requirement to wrap each cookie individually. Before long it became apparent that baking cookies and brownies (lots of them) was not the most challenging aspect of the operation; the real bottleneck was in the packaging. Each cookie or brownie was placed in a small bag by hand, labeled by hand, and sealed using a hand sealer. The packaging results were perfectly fine, but the labor involved in this slow and tedious process was etching away precious margin. It was time to reconsider their packaging process, and like so many others, the Krasnoff’s turned to the internet for ideas. This is where they discovered PAC Machinery.
A regional sales manager for PAC fielded their inquiry and listened carefully to the Krasnoff’s desire to transition from hand packaging to some form of packaging automation. Although PAC manufactures an extensive variety of packaging solutions, Joel was pretty sure he had the perfect solution in mind. The packaging would be done on an automatic bagger – but not the kind of huge and costly machine you find in a large-scale facility. The machine would require a small amount of precious space, match the speed of their baking capacity, and be affordable. It needed to be the logical next step between hand packaging and high-speed automated flow wrapping. The choice was clear: it had to be a Rollbag R785 tabletop automatic bagger. Though Joel had several other options open to him, he made the right recommendation. Trained to seek a real solution and not just sell a machine, Joel led Larry and Leigh Krasnoff to a practical, affordable answer.
Rollbag R785 Automatic Bagger
The Rollbag R785 is a unique, tabletop automatic poly bagger that met all the parameters required at Cornerstone. This compact table-top automatic bagger uses the same sophisticated electronics as PAC’s large floor standing bagger; it delivers dependable results using high-clarity polypropylene bags on a roll. With its advanced control system, the R785 can operate at a rate of up to 40 bags per minute, ensuring that machine speed will not be the limiting factor in the packaging operation. There was another feature that appealed to the folks at Cornerstone: the Rollbag R785 automatic bagger did not require compressed air, which meant their facility would require no modification. This bagger can easily be moved around the bakery and could be set up virtually anywhere with access to an ordinary electrical outlet. With its small footprint (26” wide x 18” deep), and light weight (just over 100 lbs.) the automatic bagger is easy to move. With the future in mind, the versatile R785 poly bagger could be loaded very quickly in semi-automatic mode by hand or faster still by using an infeed device that Cornerstone could add as the business grew.
Sweet success for Cornerstone Cookie
The Rollbag R785 is the first all-electric bagger in its class that offers an optional, integrated label printer applicator. This off the shelf labeling solution prints and applies a label as the bag is fed out. This was ideal for Cornerstone as it enabled them to utilize attractive pre-printed labels, which they could then imprint with the flavor of the cookie. Since they could print and apply a label directly on the bag, they were able to use the beautiful, clear, food-grade bags. Additionally, the label printer applicator works with direct thermal labels, as well as thermal transfer, thus eliminating the need for printer ribbon.
Why did the sales rep suggest the Rollbag R785 automatic bagger? Because this machine is particularly effective for short batch runs and is the ideal transition for customers currently packaging their product by hand with a label that is manually applied.
Watch the R785 in action!
Truly a next-generation automatic poly bagger, the R785 is the first all-electric bagger that offers an optional, integrated label printer applicator. This off the shelf industrial labeling solution prints and applies a label. As the label printer applicator works with direct thermal labels, as well as thermal transfer, there is no need for any printer ribbon. Custom pre-printed labels with high color graphics can also be used, for a retail customer experience that greatly enhances the brand.
At Cornerstone, our selection of baked goods now includes seasonal items, corporate holiday gifts, and premium nuts. We started as a specialty cake delivery company in the Atlanta area emphasizing the quality of our made-from-scratch cakes. With such initial success, we quickly expanded our menu to include decadent chocolate brownies and delicious cookies which can now be enjoyed across the U.S. This rapid expansion necessitated a more efficient packaging system. The Rollbag R785 was a great solution.