Nutreelife is a family run business based in Lancashire, UK. Late last year they began to produce high-quality plant-based sports nutrition products with a genuine difference.  Although they are a new company, their production experience is certainly not new.

Manufacturing Director Patrick Mroczak has won a string of awards for instilling world-class manufacturing standards and has worked for several blue chip companies over the years including myprotein, Vimto, and Arla Foods, as well as providing expertise Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) to Tesco and Kellogg’s.    

Andrew Mansfield, CS Labels Technical Sales Director, describes how his label and packaging company came to work with Nutreelife. “I met Patrick at myprotein when he was our client and was enthused to then learn of his new company, Nutreelife, whom he founded with his son in law, Adam Hodgkinson. From our very first meeting at myprotein I knew he set the bar high when it came to production. This was music to my ears, as CS Labels are also known for top of the range manufacturing techniques and investment – ours being in the production of digitally printed packaging. Patrick is an early day production guru and a genuine client example of a pioneer in digital print. He isn’t afraid to try new ideas and techniques – which ultimately have added to the financial success of the products he has worked on.“

Nutreelife invested heavily in equipment so they could produce their bars, powders and snacks in-house.

Packaging wise, this meant the sourcing of a partner who could supply digital doyen stand up pouches for their protein snacks and powders in addition to continuous film for form fill sealing of their protein bars.

The team had a few important packaging goals in mind for the launch and ongoing development of their product range. Nutreelife wanted to launch a variety of product SKUs and lines simultaneously, without the financial burden of expensive large minimum orders of pouches and film. They wanted lots of flexibility when it came to order quantities – Patrick knew that digital could print lots of different sorts of different quantities in the same run. He cleverly used this to his advantage, making the most of repeat orders, only ordering what they need.

FMCG brands move fast. Patrick knows that if he needs to place a large order for film or pouches quickly, he can rely on digital to provide ground-breaking faster lead times in comparison to conventional printing.

From a quality point of view, Nutreelife is extremely conscientious and know every single ingredient that goes into their products, which also extends to the packaging. They wanted packaging that was safe, with no migration, ensuring the packaging materials didn’t "leak" into the products. They also wanted to use the best materials, and produce a product that has a high quality form.

From a marketing point of view, the brand also wanted its packaging to look vibrant, sharp and crisp, to reflect their branding aspirations. Patrick says,  “It was an easy decision choosing the digital packaging route with the help of CS Labels.  We wanted packaging that fit with our ethics; high quality, safe and also to look the part; a clean product with clean packaging. I’m pleased to say that CS Labels have delivered on all levels.”

He continues, “Our production lead times are slashed with digital print in comparison to other methods.  And just as we ourselves utilize state-of-the-art drive and control systems to ensure fast product type change, CS Labels digital equipment and business processes do the same.

I’m also reaching out to companies who have preconceptions about digital print and ink migration, whether it be labels or flexible packaging. With a company like CS Labels, you can be sure that your packaging is safe and effective; CS Labels are BRC accredited at high risk level. Forming a partnership with CS Labels means you can then relax while you focus on other areas of your business.

With a new brand, or even new product, lead time is more paramount than ever. "With digital we can launch new products very quickly. CS Labels has worked with us to achieve some very tight timescales, they have delivered exactly what they said they would," Patrick says, adding, "We have built a very quality conscious factory and we want to make sure that all of our partners operate at that same high quality – it was immediately visible that CS Labels were the partner for us. They are able to help start-up companies, FMCG majors and everything in-between.”