Qualtia Alimentos and Ecoware: Reimagining Packaging by Turning a Hermetic Container into an Eco-Statement

Challenge

A premium product that demands an eco upgrade

In today’s retail environment, where sustainability is no longer optional but expected, food manufacturers must align product innovation with ecological integrity. Qualtia Alimentos — a major Mexican protein-food company behind brands like Zwan — faced this exact challenge as they prepared to launch a next-generation packaging system for their Zwan ham line. The mission: craft a container that matches the brand’s premium positioning and its new “Zwan-friendly” packaging with less plastic.

A premium product that demands an eco upgrade

Qualtia needed to create a premium hermetic container (airtight, reusable) that:

• Aligned with Zwan’s freshly redesigned packaging (less plastic)
• Maintained functional integrity (seal, shelf life, taste protection)
• Carried an authentic message of sustainability

The traditional plastic packaging paradigm no longer resonated with the evolving consumer mindset — especially households demanding practicality + eco-responsibility. The brief: design a hermetic container for Zwan ham that not only stored the product but also exemplified environmental innovation.

Solution

A hermetic container made partly with natural agave fibres

Working in collaboration with Ecoware and leveraging their patented “PolyAgave®” biocomposite (agave-bagasse-based fibres blended with polymer), Qualtia introduced a hermetic container for Zwan ham that replaced a significant portion of plastic with agave-fibre content. The container delivered full functionality — airtight, food-safe, refrigerator-ready — while advancing sustainability.

Key aspects of the solution:

• Partial substitution of petroleum-based plastics with natural agave fibre, decreasing fossil-resource usage.
• Compatibility with existing processing and packaging equipment, so product quality and shelf life remained uncompromised.
• Promotion of the circular economy by converting agro-industrial agave waste (bagasse) into value-added packaging material.
• Reinforced brand messaging: the container became not just storage, but a symbol of eco-responsibility for Zwan in Mexican homes.

Results

Impact beyond the kitchen

Although full financial metrics were not publicly disclosed, the published case confirms several meaningful outcomes:

• Zwan launched the new packaging system featuring 50 % less plastic alongside the hermetic, agave-fibre container.
• The container’s lower reliance on petroleum-derived plastic supports reduced CO₂ emissions associated with material production and disposal.
• Growing brand relevance: Mexican families increasingly value brands that demonstrate genuine environmental concern, elevating Zwan’s positioning in the home-refrigerator space.
• From packaging to conversation: the hermetic container triggered new brand touchpoints — not just “I bought the ham,” but “I chose a sustainable container.”

In effect, Qualtia transformed a utilitarian kitchen item into an instrument of brand strategy and sustainability leadership.

Strategic take-aways for brand and packaging leaders

1. Material innovation is brand innovation. Replacing conventional plastics with agave-based composite is not just a sustainability move — it becomes a differentiator at shelf and in the home.
2. Performance cannot be compromised. The hermetic container needed to match or exceed the functional requirements of traditional packaging, or else the eco-story would ring hollow.
3. Packaging is a statement of values. In this case, the container acted as a physical manifestation of Zwan’s claim: “We’re reducing plastic, we’re helping the planet.”
4. Circular economy thinking adds storytelling power. By up-cycling agave bagasse into packaging, the brand engaged both consumers and retail partners with a narrative of waste-to-value.
5. Sustainability supports premium positioning. A brand traditionally seen in home kitchens gained emotional and strategic elevation thanks to the eco-container—making the product not just food, but a conscientious choice.

Conclusion: From everyday container to meaningful connection

The Qualtia Ecoware collaboration redefines what a hermetic container can be: not just a receptacle, but a branded object of purpose. By integrating agave-fibre content and reducing plastic by half, Zwan’s packaging sheds its commodity status and steps into leadership territory.

In modern kitchens where consumers judge brands by their impact, Qualtia and Zwan show how eco-packaging + purposeful design can shift a product from “just another ham” to a choice that resonates with values and practicality alike.

More than that, this initiative proves that for food brands, sustainability isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a strategic asset, one that can elevate your brand, your product and your consumer relationship in one clean line.

Know more about our ecofriendly products.