Sofi’s Cookies is a family-run Greek bakery supplying premium baked goods and confectionery to the retail and hospitality sectors. With care and quality central to the brand, the business wanted its individually wrapped cookie packaging to carry these values in every bite.
It has a long-standing relationship with Parkside, starting when Sofi’s approached the flexible packaging specialist in search of a compostable wrapper. Parkside supplied a proven material specification with a successful track record across several demanding snack applications.
However, as both Sofi’s and Parkside are committed to continuous improvement, this was not the end of the journey. The next stage of the partnership began when Sofi’s asked Parkside to help it transition from compostable film to a recyclable paper-based pack for cookies supplied to luxury resorts across Greece and Spain.
The challenge
An early challenge was around setting expectations for the project. Sofi’s initially wanted the new paper packaging to be described as ‘plastic-free’. However, the Parkside team explained that the heat-seal coating needed to close the pack securely – required to preserve freshness – contains some petrochemical-derived material. The two teams worked together to develop a brief focused on creating a functional paper-based pack that did not compromise on recyclability in real-world scenarios.
Material choice was only one piece of the solution to this puzzle. The high butter and fat content of the cookies placed demanding performance requirements on the wrapper. It needed to prevent grease from marking the paper with unappealing dark stains while also providing the oxygen barrier required to preserve freshness and forming a reliable heat seal on the packing line.
The packaging also had to deliver the premium appearance expected by Sofi’s hospitality customers, who would ultimately enjoy the cookies in luxury resorts across the Mediterranean. Each pack was designed to feature a vivid printed design tailored to carry the branding of each individual resort.
The Parkside solution
Parkside began by trialling several different paper specifications. Although the initial materials delivered some of the required functionality, the cookies’ high fat content caused visible grease marks to seep through the paper.
Rather than compromise on either presentation or protection, Parkside continued testing materials with enhanced functional coatings. Sofi’s also made a small adjustment to its recipe, demonstrating the collaborative approach needed to ensure product and packaging can work in harmony to maximise consumer appeal.
The final specification combines the natural look and feel of paper with the grease resistance, oxygen barrier, and heat-seal performance required to protect and preserve individually wrapped cookies. Its printable surface also enables Sofi’s to reproduce detailed, colourful resort branding without losing the tactile qualities that many consumers enjoy when interacting with paper packaging.
This intuitively communicates that the pack is designed for recycling through paper collection streams, giving Sofi’s a practical, reduced-plastic alternative to its previous compostable wrapper while maintaining the required high level of protection and presentation.
The results
The new pack shows what can be achieved by a close, collaborative relationship between a food producer and its packaging partner. It represents proof of the fact that this kind of approach helps solve challenges that material selection alone cannot address. Without it, recyclability can look like a compromise. The Sofi’s cookie pack shows that recyclability, performance, and presentation can all go hand-in-hand.
By combining trials, technical expertise and product development, Parkside and Sofi’s have created a recyclable paper-based wrapper that supports freshness, prevents grease staining, and presents the cookies as a premium hospitality product.
Early performance has been positive, and the project has also strengthened a partnership built on honest advice, responsive development, and a shared commitment to improving packaging without compromising the product inside.
The last word
“Sofi’s came to us with a clear ambition, and we were open from the beginning about what the packaging could achieve. The high fat content made this a demanding application, but by testing different papers and working collaboratively with the Sofi’s team, we found a solution that delivers the required performance and premium appearance. The response so far has been very encouraging, and we look forward to supporting Sofi’s with future projects.”
Ian McManus, Sales Account Manager at Parkside
