Hoogerbrug automates branding and labelling for ready meals

When the hospitality industry came to a sudden standstill, Hoogerbrug needed to find a new market for its fresh, ready-made meals.

The company responded by moving into supermarkets and launching its meals under its own brand. What began as an urgent response soon developed into a scalable retail business.

But growing supermarket demand also exposed a new challenge: the manual process used to brand and label each meal was too slow and inconsistent to support further growth.

Hoogerbrug needed a faster way to create professional, retail-ready meal packaging.

From foodservice supplier to retail brand

For years, Hoogerbrug prepared and supplied fresh meals to companies, caterers and institutions.

When the Covid-19 pandemic brought events, hospitality and catering to an abrupt halt, deliveries stopped almost overnight. With fresh meals already in production, Hoogerbrug had to act quickly to prevent food from going to waste.

The company found a new destination for its products in supermarkets.

Demand for convenient, ready-made meals continued to grow, and Hoogerbrug recognised an opportunity to develop its own consumer brand. A temporary solution gradually became a permanent change in direction.

Entering retail, however, required more than simply placing the meals on supermarket shelves. The packaging needed to communicate the brand, present each meal professionally and carry the required product information.

Manual band application became a bottleneck

Initially, employees applied printed bands around the meal trays by hand and secured them with adhesive tape.

The approach was flexible enough for lower volumes, but it became increasingly inefficient as retail orders grew. Each band had to be positioned and secured manually, requiring valuable time and labour.

The process also created variations in presentation. Bands could be misaligned, loose or applied differently from one pack to the next.

That inconsistency did not match the professional image Hoogerbrug wanted to build in the supermarket.

The company needed a ready meal packaging solution that could combine speed, consistent presentation and accurate labelling.

Branding and labelling in one automated process

Hoogerbrug selected a Bandall banding machine with integrated printing.

The system automatically applies each band around the meal tray in a fixed position. At the same time, product-specific information can be printed directly onto the band.

This brings branding, band application and labelling together in one streamlined process.

Instead of preparing and taping bands by hand, operators can process the meals more quickly while achieving the same professional finish on every pack.

The solution also gives Hoogerbrug the flexibility to use one packaging process for different meals, tray dimensions and product formats.

Consistent packaging for every ready meal

Automating the banding process has helped Hoogerbrug turn a labour-intensive packaging task into a reliable part of its production flow.

The new process provides:

• Consistently positioned bands
• A professional retail presentation
• Faster packaging of growing order volumes
• Less manual handling
• On-demand printing of product information
• Flexibility across different meals and tray formats
• A scalable process for future retail growth

The printed band gives Hoogerbrug the space to communicate its brand while also carrying the information needed to identify and sell the meal.

By combining branding and labelling on one packaging component, the company can simplify its process without compromising shelf appeal.

Packaging built for retail growth

What started as a rapid response to an unexpected crisis ultimately opened a new market for Hoogerbrug.

The move into supermarkets created the opportunity to build a recognisable consumer brand and reach a wider audience. Automated banding then provided the packaging consistency and efficiency needed to support that growth.

Hoogerbrug can now present its ready meals professionally, respond more easily to changing demand and package a wider variety of products using one flexible solution.

The result is more than a faster packaging process. It is a ready meal branding and labelling solution that helped transform a temporary retail opportunity into a lasting business model.