Proper takeout packaging is crucial now more than ever in the post-pandemic food service world. Ensuring that your business is equipped with packaging and cutlery that is sturdy, reliable, and sustainable will provide takeout customers with a seamless at-home or on-the-go dining experience, leading to customer loyalty that spans far beyond the dining room.
With a refreshed brand, clear direction for future growth, and a broad range of quality products, Pennsylvania-based ACR is supplying foodservice operators and the distributors that support them with an ever-expanding range of top-notch foodservice essentials.
ACR began in 2014 and grew into a collaboration of 10 different organizations including AmerCare, Royal Paper, JRMI, 511 FoodService, and McNairn Packaging, providing a seamless resource across the foodservice, janitorial, sanitation, education, industrial, hospitality, and healthcare industries.
“We chose this time to make the comprehensive rebranding of the company following a decade of acquisitions,” said Chris Rowe, ACR’s Vice President of Marketing. “We have combined all of our businesses under one brand, reflecting our continued evolution as a one-stop provider of restaurant takeout packaging and meal preparation supplies.”
With 900 employees worldwide, ACR is continuing to expand following its rebranding. Significant investments in adding North American manufacturing and migrating imported products away from China have produced a uniquely balanced sourcing portfolio for the company, helping to shield customers from geo-political risk to the global supply chain.
As a whole, the company offers an extensive line of foodservice essentials, from baking supplies and fry oil filtration to cutlery and even hair nets. “Customers come to us for reliability of both the product and of the supply chain that delivers it,” Rowe continued.
As ACR expanded, the company engaged Truelio, a brand experience agency, to visually rebrand it.
“Our goal is to present a united, singular brand to the marketplace, so our customers can easily buy all of the quality foodservice essentials they need from one collaborative, reliable source,” Rowe noted, highlighting ACR’s emphasis on integration and cohesiveness across the organization.
The rebranding strategy included a study of ACR’s methodology, its previous branding, and various customer surveys to understand the company’s archetypes and what they represented beyond a foodservice essentials business.
“The research found that ACR is considered a ‘Hero Brand,’ the kind of business partner that goes to great lengths to make sure the customer is taken care of,” said Rowe. “The findings really sent a message that we’re a company that can be counted on!”
The archetype helped Truelio understand different traits of ACR and, in turn, allowed it to come up with a logo that better represented the company’s goals via one succinct design.
“We selected a round logo because it symbolizes friendship and unity,” Rowe explained, furthering ACR’s commitment to keeping its customers fulfilled through its range of high-quality products.
Part of ACR’s rebranding is its push for sustainability in its takeout products. “Food service packaging has been dominated by plastics,” Rowe continued.
“Our acquisition of PrimeWare enabled us to develop a rapid path to offering additional sustainable solutions.” PrimeWare products are 100% sustainable in terms of being either fully compostable, at home or industrially, or fully recyclable.
The line includes hinged lid containers, compostable food containers, eco-friendly cutlery and straws, and even compostable tableware, ensuring reliability and comfort for takeout customers.
Beyond PrimeWare, ACR is a leader in paper-based solutions and is the parent company of two organizations that specialize in paper products for packaging.
They offer, besides the PrimeWare portfolio, numerous options for paper, molded fiber, and mineral-filled takeout containers, each customizable in packaging, embossing or imprinting to reflect the restaurant’s individual branding format.
“We’re also very active in the development of the substrate formulations that provide superior packaging performance without the addition of PFAS to the manufacturing process,” Rowe said, noting that ACR has transitioned to non-added PFAS natural fiber packaging products, a fact that surely brings peace of mind to takeout customers.
The recent rebranding is sure to push ACR to the forefront of foodservice essentials, especially as takeout food service continues to grow and as more businesses develop personal sustainability goals.
Reliable takeout packaging is imperative these days, and ACR’s line is an impressive one, guaranteed to keep food safe and secure during the whole ride home.
ACR products are available to restaurants via their local distributors. For more information, visit ACR’s website.
