Huhtamaki’s double walled disposable paper cups feature deep embossed definition, which the company says makes them the ideal choice for caterers looking to improve the overall quality and appearance of their beverage service.

The deep embossing on the cups provides optimum insulation, which makes them more comfortable to hold, it says – perfect for customers enjoying a hot drink on-the-go. The cups aim to eliminate the need to double-up cups or use sleeves, thus minimising the amount of stock required.

Ideal for premium beverages like creamy lattes, gourmet hot chocolates, fruit teas and frothy cappuccinos, they can be used with ‘sip-thru’ lids to prevent spills and the strong holder trays enable customers to carry multiple drinks.

Disposable Paper Cups – Buy Online!

"Freshly Made Today" Sandwich Wedge

With 93% of caterers serving takeaway food, packaging provides customers with convenient food and drink options which they can enjoy on-the-go. Packaging needs to suit the needs of the consumer, suit the food and drink being served, and, as the types of food and drinks being served change in accordance with the time-of-year, the importance of selecting the right disposable catering supplies is the key.

Convenience and hygiene are paramount when it comes to packaging. The consumer needs to be assured that the packaging is easy opening and will not leak or spill its contents. It works the other way too, nothing should be allowed to get in. Consumers need to know that the contents are protected, that’s where the use of well designed labels or tamper evident features can add value to the choice of packaging.

Huhtamaki is one of the worlds largest food and drink packaging manufacturing and consistently scrutinises over the latest key consumer packaging trends. They never underestimate the importance of packaging. With their market research in mind, they are then able to develop packaging solutions toward the masses.

Disposable Food Containers – Part of a huge range of catering disposable available to buy online!

Universities have diverse needs when it comes to tableware. The catering managers are highly cost-conscious and looking to get maximum life-span from their products, yet flexible in their thinking.

We are seeing patterns emerge depending on which sites within the university is being refurbished or re-stocked. That can mean focusing on catering disposables for the ‘to-go’, light eats and snacking side of the business, right through to the procurement of good good quality, super-vitrified crockery for an on-site restaurant.

Many of our customers have opted for ‘badged whiteware’, which means their universities own branding is ‘fired’ onto a base white china. The resulting tableware remains highly durable, looks great and delivers a bespoke look and feel that adds value to the quality of the restaurant. It’s relatively inexpensive to badge white-ware and just needs a bit of forward planning. We work closely with suppliers such as Churchill China to offer some great options of super-vitrified, badge-ware and it’s also becoming increasingly popular to brand accessories, such as napkins or glasses, to match.

White-ware is by far the most popular choice of crockery for universities: “it’s the same as any eating establishment, white ware is practical, and new presentation concepts can be blended in with existing ranges for minimal cost. Food looks good on white and that’s why it remains the chef’s choice!

Catering disposables are big business for universities right through from hot and cold beverages to sandwich packaging, napkins and paper towels. There is an increasing demand for universities to buy ‘sustainably’ in line with both Government and student environmental policies.

We are seeing a significant increase in the number of customers happy to pay a small premium for products which tick the sustainability boxes. Some decisions are common sense – for example use paper cups that break down easily against their plastic counterparts and don’t over-package needlessly when it comes to sandwiches and food ‘to-go’.

Photo by Taekwonweirdo

Caterers are always looking for the most cost-effective solutions when it comes to buying disposables and packaging products. Nevertheless, goods with ‘green’ credentials remain at the heart of the majority of procurement policies.

Ecotainer Aware Cups

Clearly the industry has embraced the consumer’s desire for friendly packaging and we have a real responsibility to customers and consumers to deliver a range that meets their needs.

Disposables within our packaging range are big business for us and here at Alliance Online we supply products to a wide range of catering establishments up and down the country. Our website features several hundred products across food packaging and disposables, and with a growing portfolio, we are able to offer lines to suit all budgets, needs and occasions; including food containers, sandwich packaging, cups, plates, cutlery and disposable glassware.

We have various ‘eco’ ranges that are proving to be really big sellers this year. Our ecotainer packaging is a revolutionary product line, made from 100% renewable resources, sustainable wood fibre, plants and is fully compost-able. The brand new, award winning, ecotainer hot cup contains the new PLA coating – making this cup compost-able in municipal and commercial composting facilities.

Glassware has always been an issue for environmentally conscious retailers, but the new Polarity Tumbler & Lid range is an ideal compliment for serving gourmet cold beverages – it offers excellent ‘glass-like’ clarity; ensuring the contents are clearly visible and pleasing on the eye. The strong, shatter-proof material is highly durable and is suitable for anything from frapaccino’s and high quality, freshly squeezed juices to fresh salads and desserts.

In this day and age, disposable catering supplies are not only important in a sustainable and economical sense, but also in respect of a company’s positive corporate and brand image.

Catering Disposables – Buy Online

Huhtamaki is a global packaging company that provides many of the world’s most recognisable consumer packaging and foodservice / catering containers, as well as the retail lines of Chinet premium disposable tableware. Compostable product range BioWare is also part of the offering.

We recently sent one of our special offers emails, highlighting some of the great deals you can currently get on catering disposables. Choose from Huhtamaki’s comprehensive range of disposable tumblers, which are ideal for alcoholic beverages as the range carry’s the CE mark on the base. The CE mark is the official Government stamp that shows a product can legally be placed on the market – meaning you can serve legal measures of alcohol without the use of measured pumps! With the festival season well and truly upon us (as the people here in the office who went to Glastonbury will confirm!) then these tumblers are proving extremely popular at this time of year.

There are two ranges to choose from; for a completely biodegradable and compostable option, use BioWare pint and half-pint PLA ‘to-line’ tumblers – part of the BioWare range of sustainable and environmentally-friendly products. The crack resistant tumblers are made from high quality PLA – a resin derived from plant starch developed from annually renewable sources – and compost within 60 days, under correct conditions.

RPET pint and half pint tumblers are manufactured in the UK, and are made from recycled PET (Post Consumer Recycled material derived from PET bottles). Choose from ‘to-brim’ or ‘to-line’ tumblers, which allow staff to pour drinks safe in the knowledge that legal measures will be provided each time.

If branded cups for cold drinks are what you are looking for then these Coca Cola and Pepsi cups can be purchased, or the Whizz cups if you need a cup with a generic design.

There’s hundreds more products to choose from with everything from food containers to sandwich packaging and disposable cutlery to fast food boxes.

Catering Disposables – Buy Online!

Stay cool this summer by presenting customer’s with a chilled beverage in a Polarity Tumbler, available from Alliance Online; the UK’s leading catering equipment wholesaler.

Polarity tumblers are the disposable glassware manufactured from recycled PET, offering strength, flexibility, while being crack resistance and attractive in design. Available in a variety of sizes; 7oz – 12oz and to avoid spillage the range offers two designs of lids; the trendy domed lid or standard flat lid.

Polarity tumblers go hand in hand with the ‘grab and go’ lifestyle, and are the perfect solution to present chilled drinks such as; smoothies, slushes, juice and even beer! These innovative tumblers poles apart from other disposable glassware and offer versatility to contain fruit, sweets and salads!

Disposable Glassware – Buy Online!

A good example of this is Huhtamaki’s Soup-to-Go containers, which make ideal containers for hot products.

The range is available here on Alliance Online in four sizes – 22cl, 34cl, 45cl and 91cl – in either plain white (making them ideal for custom printing) or a Streetside design, as is shown in the image on the right.

Disposable food containers such as this can be used for a host of foods including soup, noodles, pasta or rice dishes.

Huhtamaki say the range is ideal for caterers looking to enhance their takeaway service.

The containers are easily stackable when empty and are supplied in combi-packs which include the lids and containers.

Soup Containers – Buy Online

Chip Cone with Newspaper Print Design

We’ve noticed we’ve been getting a few hits recently from wedding sites and sales of our newspaper print chip cones have been rising. It seems guests at weddings up and down the country are enjoying a chip or two from these nifty, disposable cones.

The paper cones feature a newspaper print design on the outside to give that authentic ‘chips in newspaper’ look without having to go out and buy 10 copies of the Telegraph and risk getting ink all over your chips/guests hands!

For £55.64 (+VAT) you can get 1000 of these chip cones for your wedding which should be plenty to cover even those guests who like to go back to the buffet for a 2nd helping!

Newspaper Print Chip Cones – Buy Online!

Cartonboard Sandwich Wedge Packaging

We supply a huge range of disposable products to caterers up and down the country and this has always been a big part of our business. I had a word with our resident expert, Emma, on the reasons for this…

Our website features nearly 20,000 products, and with a growing portfolio of product lines, we’re able to offer disposables to suit all budgets, needs and occasions.
This includes food containers, sandwich packaging, cups, plates, cutlery, and disposable glassware. Our products are available in a number of different materials – polystyrene foam, aluminium foil, microwavable plastic, as well as cardboard and film. Although the current economic climate is putting increasing pressure on caterers to consider more cost effective products, products with ‘green’ credentials remain key to procurement policies.

Catering Disposables – Buy Online

Tumblers

Glassware sales were high throughout August with two categories from this section occupying the top 5. The prices of our glasses have always been competitive and we expect our tumblers to continue to sell well this month with our current offer of 48 x Hi-Ball Glasses at just £14.48!

Catering Disposables

Could be the summer festivals pushing the sales of catering disposables up in August. I was at the Coldplay concert over the weekend and enjoyed a few beers from a disposable cup. Plates and food containers were popular choices amongst our customers as people took advantage of the occasional glimmers of sunshine and ventured outside. We shall see if this trend proves correct and sales drop in the winter months.

Utopia Pure White Crockery

Easily one of our most popular ranges of crockery, Utopia Pure White tableware is ideal for cafe’s and canteens – most caterers choose this range when cost is the most important factor.

Beer Glasses

Another one related to the weather perhaps? Sales of beer glasses were high throughout August as people enjoyed a few drinks in the last of the summer months.

Hot Cupboards

Not surprisingly, a kitchen equipment category came out on top again last month. Our prices on kitchen kit are hard to beat on the ‘net and this time is was the turn of our Hot Cupboards to top the catering equipment sales list.