Cathedral City becomes the first cheese brand to introduce side opening, resealable packs

Cathedral City, product of Saputo Dairy UK, has unveiled new side opening packaging, featuring the brand’s signature resealable, zip lock.

The brand is the first in the UK to introduce side opening block cheese packaging which is resealable. Launching across the entire Cathedral City block range, the new packs will begin rolling out in stores from 13 June and will be available in all major retailers.

Convenience is at the heart of the re-design, giving consumers the ability to seamlessly slide the cheese in and out of the pack without touching the bare cheese block, so they can slice or grate it straight from the packet. To help reduce food waste, the updated packaging keeps the cheese fresher for longer as the shorter zip makes resealing it even easier. It also reduces the plastic content by 6%, saving 40 tonnes of plastic a year.

In consumer trials, over 60% of users preferred the new side opening format.73% of consumers also agreed the zip lock would keep their cheddar fresher for longer and would be easy to open and reclose multiple times.

Neil Stewart, Cathedral City marketing controller at Saputo Dairy UK, says, “Research has told us that consumers are looking for ease and convenience when using their block of cheese. Hygienic handling and the ability to keep the cheese as fresh as possible were also key considerations and our new side opening, resealable packs achieve all of those things. The fact we are the first brand on the market to introduce such a pack demonstrates the commitment, passion, and expertise that we at Cathedral City put into everything we do.

“We will always listen to our customers and their feedback and, as such, the packaging will continue to feature the press to close ability that not only keeps our cheese fresh and helps to reduce food waste, but also eliminates the need for secondary plastic to reseal the cheese once opened.”

The new packaging, which follows the brand’s recently relaunched design, will be replacing Cathedral City’s current top opening packs. Last month Saputo Dairy UK revealed a new brand identity for Cathedral City featuring a modern, redesigned city scene around its iconic cathedral and new, vibrant SKU-specific colourways to complement its signature burgundy.

Cathedral City remains the Nation’s Favourite and UK’s number one cheese brand, it is currently worth £286 million ($350m) in total market and is bought by almost 45% of all UK households.