From Deep Expertise to Everyday Performance
What the cheese category has taught Wipak about packaging expertise and performance
Walk into any major retailer in the UK and you will see it immediately.
Rows of block, grated and sliced cheese, each competing for attention, shelf life and consumer trust.
Behind that everyday product sits a category that is anything but simple. And for Wipak UK, it is where years of experience have quietly shaped how packaging is designed, tested and delivered.
Cheese is not just another segment. In the UK, it has been the proving ground.
“Cheese represents around 80% of our turnover in the UK,” says Wayne Hallsworth, Sales Manager at Wipak UK and Ireland. “That focus has allowed us to build real expertise, not just in materials, but in how those materials perform in practice.”
Wayne speaks from experience. He has spent nearly 15 years with Wipak, working closely with customers across the UK and Ireland, most of that time immersed in the cheese category. Over those years, the learning has not stood still. It has been built day by day, on factory floors, alongside the people packing products that consumers rely on.
Built on proximity shaped by real cheese packaging experience
Wipak’s strength in cheese did not come from theory or positioning. It came from being close to the market and even closer to customers.
From Welshpool, surrounded by major dairy producers, the business grew alongside the industry. That proximity turned into collaboration, and collaboration into experience built over years of working directly on packing lines, solving real challenges under real pressures.
Today, that experience spans to all our customers across the UK, from global brands to smaller, specialised producers. Each brings different requirements, but they all rely on the same fundamentals: consistency, efficiency and trust.
“Customers expect our materials to operate at the highest level,” Wayne explains. “They expect to put it on the machine and get the performance they need straight away. That confidence is critical.”
While that expertise has been shaped in the UK, it does not sit in isolation. It reflects how Wipak operates more broadly, as part of a wider group where knowledge, materials and technical understanding are shared across sites. What is learned in one market feeds into another, strengthening the overall capability.
The challenge that defines cheese packaging performance
In cheese packaging, performance is not judged by what you see, but by what goes wrong when things fail.
One issue stands above the rest.
Leakers.
It sounds simple, but the implications are not. A compromised seal allows gas exchange, leading to spoilage, mould growth and product loss. For all producers, even small failure rates create significant impact.
“The ideal is that the product is packed hermetically,” Wayne says. “No gas in, no gas out. When that doesn’t happen, it can become a real problem very quickly.”
Solving this is not about applying a standard solution. It requires deep understanding of materials, machines and operating conditions.
“We design sealing layers specifically around each customer’s requirements,” he adds. “It’s about reducing risk and helping them pack with confidence.”
That kind of precision does not come from general packaging knowledge. It comes from experience that has been tested repeatedly in one of the most demanding categories, and then reinforced through the wider technical capabilities of the Wipak Group.
A category that never stands still
Cheese may feel traditional, but the market is constantly evolving.
Consumer behaviour is shifting towards convenience, and packaging formats are changing with it. Grated cheese continues to gain momentum, while new formats are being adapted to balance functionality with material efficiency.
At the same time, sustainability is no longer a future consideration. It is actively shaping decisions today, driven not only by consumer expectations but also by regulation.
“We’re seeing more interest in reducing plastic, simplifying pack formats and removing components, such us zips, where possible,” Wayne explains. “But those changes have to work on our customers’ lines. Line performance is still a pre-requisite.”
For many producers, that shift is closely tied to upcoming legislation such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). Even for UK-based businesses, the impact is clear, particularly for those exporting into Europe.
This adds another layer of complexity. Packaging must now deliver on multiple fronts at once:
- Maintain seal integrity and shelf life
- Run efficiently at high speeds
- Align with recyclability and material reduction targets
- Protect brand equity on shelf
Few categories demand that level of balance so consistently.
More than supply: delivering reliable packaging performance at pace
Cheese producers operate in a fast-moving environment where delays are not accepted and timing is critical. Retail pressure flows through the entire value chain, and packaging is expected to keep up.
“Customers want to get their product on the shelf quickly,” Wayne says. “They need suppliers who can respond at that speed.”
For Wipak, this has meant building flexibility into both materials and operations. Stocking commonly used structures, shortening lead times and maintaining consistent quality are all part of that response.
But what customers value most often goes beyond delivery.
“They appreciate our expertise and support,” Wayne notes. “We’re involved from the early stages, through trials all the way to production. We’re there to guide and solve problems when they come up.”
That involvement extends across the Wipak Group, where technical knowledge, regulatory insight and application expertise are combined to support customers in different markets facing similar challenges.
Innovation that makes a difference
In a category defined by performance, innovation only matters if it works in practice and increasingly, if it works sustainably.
One of the most recent examples comes from Wipak’s work with a major UK cheese producer to develop a fully recyclable flow pack for block cheese. The solution uses a polypropylene structure that is classified as recyclable under OPRL guidelines, marking a significant step forward for the category.
Bringing that concept to life was far from straightforward.
The material had to deliver the same level of protection and seal integrity while running on high speed, multi jaw packing lines, operating at close to 100 packs per minute. Achieving both recyclability and consistent line performance at that scale required close collaboration, technical precision and extensive testing.
By working in true partnership with the customer, Wipak became the first to introduce a fully recyclable, OPRL compliant flow wrap for block cheese now successfully in the market.
“It was a real challenge to develop a material that could meet both sustainability expectations and the demands of high-speed production,” Wayne says. “But by working closely together, we were able to deliver a solution that performs where it matters.”
These are the innovations shaping the category today.
They are not just about adding features or improving convenience, but about rethinking materials and processes to meet evolving sustainability requirements without compromising performance.
What this experience really means
It would be easy to see Wipak’s reputation in cheese as a niche strength. In reality, it represents something broader.
Working in a category where performance margins are tight, expectations are high and change is constant creates a particular kind of expertise. It is detailed, practical and grounded in real application.
It is also quietly scalable.
The same principles tested in cheese, from seal integrity to line efficiency and material optimisation, are relevant across many food applications. Through the Wipak Group, that expertise is shared, adapted and applied where it adds value, always with the same focus on performance and reliability.
Looking ahead
The future of cheese packaging will be shaped as much by regulation as by innovation.
Requirements linked to recyclability, material reduction and compliance with frameworks like PPWR will continue to influence how packaging is designed and produced. At the same time, producers will still need to deliver the same core outcomes: safe products, consistent quality and efficient production.
“There’s a lot of change coming,” Wayne reflects. “The critical role we play is helping customers navigate it and make the right choices for their products.”
In that sense, the cheese category remains what it has always been for Wipak. A place where performance is proven, where expertise is built over time, and where the smallest details can make the biggest difference.
And increasingly, a place where those lessons are being applied far beyond the cheese aisle.
