Top 4 Flexible Packaging Closures for the Cheese Aisle

As inflation and grocery prices continue to rise, consumers want assurance that the products they purchase will stay fresh and not go to waste before they can enjoy them. 

Adding closures to flexible packaging helps preserve freshness after opening and gives consumers peace of mind. This is especially important for cheese products, which are often enjoyed over multiple servings and reopened repeatedly. A closure that is easy to open and reclose helps consumers feel more confident each time they reach for the package.

How Can Flexible Packaging Help Keep Cheese Products Fresh?

Whether it’s slices, shreds, cubes, chunks, or even dairy-free options, cheese requires packaging that helps maintain its texture, appearance, and overall quality. Specific barrier properties can help manage moisture loss and oxygen transmission, which is important for helping protect the product throughout its shelf life. Without that protection, cheese can dry out, harden, and discolor.

Flexible films with high barrier protection are great at helping prolong cheese longevity, but once the package has been opened, a closure is necessary to continue to keep larger servings of cheese fresh in the fridge for continued enjoyment.

The Fresh-Lock team pioneered adding reclosability to cheese packaging, and we’ve been leading this market ever since. As such, we have developed a portfolio of closures that are ideal for the cheese aisle:

For Premium Cheese Packaging: Fresh-Lock® Ergo Ultra Slider

As standup pouches have become the standard format for many shredded cheese varieties, a slider can add a premium level of convenience and performance for consumers. While early slider designs presented cost and performance challenges, a new generation of sliders has ushered in improvements that support both operational efficiency and a better customer experience. These advancements in slider technology give cheese brands an opportunity to provide consumers with a simple, intuitive way to open and reclose cheese pouches. 

Ease of use is already a key driver for sliders, but upgrading that functionality with ergonomic design helps enhance shelf appeal and promote more consistent use; this offers the practical value consumers expect from a premium package. The Fresh-Lock® Ergo Ultra Slider features a contoured, easy grip design, helping ensure cheese products stay fresh and are accessible to all kinds of consumers—including those with dexterity issues. This structure makes it a fan favorite when consumers spot it in the cheese aisle. 

Designed with recyclable polyethylene in both the slider and the track, Ergo Ultra qualifies as a component for the How2Recycle Store Drop-off program when used as a component on a mono-material flexible pouch. Beyond being made from recyclable materials, the design of Ergo Ultra supports source reduction. Its reduced scale design uses less material compared to similar slider options on the market, giving cheese brands and packaging converters a sleek, low-profile closure for a better consumer experience. 

Increase Consumer Confidence in Cheese Packaging with Click ‘N Lock® Zippers

While sliders are easy to use and give consumers comfort that their cheese package has been securely closed, audible/tactile press-to-close zippers can offer that same peace of mind. 

With a distinct snap and noticeable “click” that can be felt when pressure is applied, closures with audible and tactile functions are preferred for cheese packaging because they help prevent consumers from mistakenly assuming their cheese package is securely reclosed when it’s not. Created with double locks for secure closing, the patented Fresh-Lock® Click ‘N Lock® sensory zippers provide real-time feedback to consumers when their cheese pouch is securely reclosed. 

Designed to help your cheese package stand out from the competition, this closure style also comes in a variety of colors and has an enhanced sealant layer that adheres easily to film structures. Additionally, highlighting the feature-packed closure on the package helps cheese brands and private-label cheese manufacturers capture consumer attention and turn their user-friendly packaging into a valuable marketing asset. 

Double the Protection: Fresh-Lock® Double Lock Zippers

Like the Click ‘N Lock® zippers, closures that feature a dual zipper structure are designed to help slow the transmission of moisture out of the package and oxygen into the package, helping further maintain freshness of cheese products. 

Our Fresh-Lock® Double Lock zippers not only provide the double lock structure, but also feature an ergonomic feel that helps give consumers the assurance that their cheese package will be fresh in the fridge until its next use. This press-to-close zipper incorporates consumer-preferred spacing between the two interlocking tracks, making it easier for consumers to align and reclose the zipper for a secure seal that won’t leak, gap, or distort. 

Beyond providing the necessary barrier properties needed to keep the cheese’s texture and flavor intact, the Double Lock closures for cheese pouches work seamlessly with a wide range of high-speed packaging equipment and require minimal heat for sealing, protecting the pouch films from distorting and allowing for faster converting cycles. 

Seal in Freshness with a Sustainable Closure for Cheese Packaging: Fresh-Lock® Multiplex Zipper 

Eco-conscious consumers will celebrate switching to a brand that embraces sustainability. Reclosable flexible packaging can help combat food waste, but a cheese brand’s sustainability initiatives can go much further. While many brands emphasize sustainable practices in their approach to cheesemaking and animal care, packaging is typically the first part of the overarching sustainability message that consumers will interact with. 

For cheese brands that want a 100% recyclable PE package, there are closure options that support these goals. Fresh-Lock® Multiplex paves the way for a sustainable package with easy opening and reclosability. Featuring five sets of interlocking channels that can hold air and moisture, this audible/tactile zipper is a “hook and hook” style closure. 

While most “hook and hook” closures allow air to pass through, Multiplex provides the tactile feedback that consumers love while eliminating any concern that the package will expose their cheese products to air and cause them to dry out. Compatible with a wide range of film structures, Multiplex works well with a variety of pre-made or horizontal pouch making equipment. 

Trust the Experts: Make Your Cheese Packaging Grate

While we help brands across the globe achieve their reclosable flexible packaging goals, Fresh-Lock® closures is a Wisconsin-based company, so we know a thing or two about cheese and understand just how strong consumers’ love for it can be. 

When it comes to cheese packaging, the goal is simple: deliver a positive consumer experience from the first open to the final serving. Fresh-Lock® press-to-close zippers and sliders help create a package that is easy to open, easy to reclose, and designed for convenience. 

Contact the Fresh-Lock team today to find the closure solution that helps your cheese package stay sharp.