Tetra Brik Aseptic (TBA) packages continue to account for the highest sales in the Gulf region, according to Tetra Pak Saudi Arabia which produces the packaging material at its Jeddah plant.

“TBA is a fast growing segment and made up approximately 80 per cent of the more than three billion packages we sold in 2006,” a company spokesman said.  Tetra Prisma Aseptic constituted some 7 per cent of the packages and Tetra Top around 6 per cent, the spokesman said, adding that “acceptability is good” for these two products in the market.
Another packaging system that the company says has great potential is the revolutionary Tetra Recart for which there is one customer, Al Rabie Saudi Foods Company. According to Tetra Pak, the company has greatly expanded sales of products using Tetra Recart packs.
Tetra Pak sells machines for various packaging systems as well as the packaging material that will be converted   into packages at the customers’ premises.
The company expects to cross 4 billion packs this year, the spokesman said.  Annual capacity at the factory is more than 7 billion packages and almost half of the production is consumed within Saudi Arabia. The company’s customers include Sadafco and Coro, besides Al Rabie.
The designers of TBA packages say their popularity stems from the versatility and cost efficiency that they offer throughout the value chain.
“No other package shape offers the high distribution efficiency that Tetra Brik Aseptic packages offer, even with openings applied. The Tetra Brik Aseptic package shape meets the basic convenience demands made by consumers. It is easy to store, safe and hygienic and all this at a very low cost,” the company says.
Volumes of Tetra Brik Aseptic packages vary from 100 ml for one-shot drinks to the large 2,000 ml family size. The Jeddah factory produces packages of sizes 250 ml, 200 ml and 125 ml. The TBA concept embraces different shapes – baseline, slimline, squareline and midline - that allow differentiation on the shelf. The packages are available with a range of openings to suit the brand image and different consumer requirements, and the printing possibilities are wide. The packaging is used for shelf-stable products such as milk, juices and tomato paste. An advantage of using the packaging is that it provides protection to the food inside by preventing both light and air from spoiling the contents. In Saudi Arabia, the containers are used for juices and milk.
TBA, which appeared in 1968, was the most significant innovation after the Tetra Classic Aseptic, and it is today the biggest earner for Tetra Pak internationally.
Tetra Pak Saudi Arabia’s second highest selling product – Tetra Prisma Aseptic – offers a resealable screw cap opening and good pouring and gripping features.  The StreamCap opening provides good pouring control and is user-friendly. Contents for the containers include high-quality fruit juices, flavoured milks, enriched and cultured milks, iced teas, organic products or lactose-reduced milks.
Printing on the packaging can be provided with the metalised effect.  The concept enables volumes of 200 ml to one-litre family packs.
Another product of Tetra Pak Saudi Arabia, the Tetra Top package, benefits from the diversity that the TT/3 filling machine offers.  It can produce the entire Tetra Top product portfolio thanks to a twin-line solution and dual filling tanks that allow one to produce different package sizes simultaneously while filling two different products. For example, a 1,000 ml base package with a screw cap opening on one line that fills milk, and a 250 ml mini package with a straw hole on the other line filling drinkable yoghurt.
The TT/3 system allows for fast shifts of package volumes with the simple press of a button. Changing an opening is made during one shift or even faster with the Quick Change LFU method. Independent of package size, the capacity of the TT/3 machine is 9,000 pph.
Meanwhile, Tetra Pak Saudi Arabia says the recently designed Tetra Recart is generating great interest among food producers. The innovators of Tetra Recart highlight its advantages as being easy to store, carry and open. It comes with easy perforation opening and is based on renewable resources allowing recycling in existing carton waste streams. When unopened the contents stay fresh and healthy without the need for refrigeration for up to 18 months.
Al Rabie Saudi Foods Company uses the packages for filling ready-to-eat farm products including beans, diced tomatoes and carrots under the Qafta brand.