Gleukos Performance Beverage Launches With Streamlined Custom Pouch from Ampac

Longtime runner Mark Jensen was also a longtime disappointed consumer of sports drinks. As a semi- professional runner himself, Jensen worked with the Nike Farm Team and other Olympic and professional athletes to learn that many were disappointed in sport drinks and their claims about assisting performance. So Jensen set out to develop a new formula that actually produces results, and a new package to deliver it.

A number of innovative concepts and processes helped Gleukos "performance beverage" launch with a distinctive and functional flexible package.

The problem with most sports drinks is that the body has to break down the food elements of the drink before it can use the energy and nutrients. The Gleukos(tm) Performance Beverage drink has an edge in that it efficiently delivers to the blood stream what the body needs most during exertion—carbohydrates in the form of glucose. Gleukos does this so well that medical staffs at some marathons treat ailing runners with Gleukos first, intravenous second.

Jensen understood the importance of having a package that would deliver the product and brand message well, and began working on design ideas while still formulating the drink. "Everything about the product we wanted to be as efficient as possible," Jensen says. The resulting package is an innovative 16-oz. stand-up pouch produced by Ampac Flexibles, Converted Products, a unit of Ampac Packaging LLC.

During the long refinement period of both product and package, Jensen kept reminding himself of concepts such as streamlined, fast, light, and efficient. Also on his mind was finding a way to make the package usable on the road or trail for serious runners. Jensen researched design possibilities by travelling to Japan, where flexible packaging is very popular and where expressive designs for food and beverage products abound. He came back with a vision to make a package that was as functionally efficient as his product, and he sought out the help of Ampac to realize his vision.

"We wanted a distinct, new shape for Gleukos," Jensen explains. "The package had to be functional and have a great appearance. We also wanted a contour that would be comfortable to grip." The reduction in weight and space that flexible offers allows runners to carry Gleukos during long runs. The tall, hourglass-shaped pouch is easy to hold and its shape can adapt to the changing form of a tight-fitting athletic apparel pocket.

But before Gleukos could go to market, Ampac engineers had to design a pouch that could stand up on the shelf despite the taller profile and narrower base. "We had to make sure that the height-to-width ratios could hold the required 16 ounces and still be stable enough to stand up at retail without any point-of-purchase assistance," says Craig Rutman, director of sales and marketing, Ampac Flexibles.

Another challenge was mating the fitment to the pouch. The sloping shoulder design "flares in" at the top and does not provide much of a gap in which to insert the fitment assembly. Ampac modified its Hensen Packaging Concepts (Germany) spout inserter to work within a very tight insertion tolerance, and the mandatory leak proof seal could then be executed.

Jensen took it upon himself to design the graphic elements of Gleukos, which he feels are also critical. "The ability for the package to showcase what is inside the pouch is an important element." The three "rings" of the stylized Gleukos "G" symbolize the elements of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen—the chemical building blocks of glucose—and the vibrant primary colors grab attention on the shelf. The typography, logos, and colors benefit from Ampac's high-definition rotogravure pouch printing expertise, causing Jensen to conclude: "The design on the outside is reflective of what is on the inside."