The pre-commercial test sales of Metsä Group's Muoto™ products have progressed to the stage where sales to consumers are also being piloted. The test sale campaign will be carried out in cooperation with Mini-Maid and Kesko during the peak season for disposable plates in June-July. Four uncoated Muoto products have been selected for the test sale, which are suitable for consumers for dining and serving use.
The products are manufactured at Metsä Group's and Valmet's joint 3D fibre product demo plant in Äänekoski, Finland. "The goal is to receive market feedback that will help validate the demand and price position of Muoto products in the retail sector and determine the product portfolio of the future," says Product Manager Tarja Heikkilä.
Mini-Maid, which is a leading manufacturer of paper plates in Europe, packs and labels Muoto products for consumer packaging and sales displays to give the new products a distinctive presentation and good store visibility. Metsä Board´s white kraftliner has been used as a surface material on the display.
Kesko, which is the second largest grocery trade operator in Finland, has selected the following stores for the test sale:
• K-Citymarket Kupittaa, Turku
• K-Citymarket Länsikeskus, Turku
• K-Citymarket Easton, Helsinki
• K-Citymarket Ruoholahti, Helsinki
"It's great that we were among the first to be able to sell a really high-quality plate series. The products are responsibly manufactured in Finland from high-quality raw materials, and this strongly supports our sustainability strategy," says Mikko Ruohio, Purchasing and Sales Manager at Kesko.
"The selection criteria for the procurement are price, quality, delivery reliability and the appearance of the products. Legislation has already shaped procurement significantly, and the role of responsibility in procurement has increased," says Taina Pirhonen, Product Manager in charge of disposable tableware and tableware for Kesko's grocery trade.
In connection with the test sale, feedback on the products is collected from consumers. You can participate in the survey via the QR code on the sales package. K Group gift cards worth €50 will be drawn among the participants. In August, we will go through the experiences and sales statistics gained from the test sales and plan further measures based on these.