If a conversation about packaging could ever reasonably include the word “sexy,” that conversation certainly would not be about chub packaging. Chubs are the ultimate role players, like basketball’s sixth man. Mostly unnoticed, getting the job done in a support capacity or sometimes as a steady, no-flash, no-hype starter. “We are an intermediate process step for a lot of products instead of a packaging step,” says an executive close to the matter. “We’re not putting the final package on. You don’t necessarily see the chub.”
As consumers, we may not see it, but we enjoy its rewards every time we tear into a loaded sandwich at home or in a sandwich shop. “All of the pepperoni in the U.S., all of the salami — also sliced ham, turkey and a lot of roast beef — have all been in a chub at one point in their processing. Before they get to the end user they have been sliced and put into a thermoformer or tray pack,” the executive says.