GEA sees rise in label-on-stick lollipops

The technology, which can wrap up to 600 lollipops/minute, allows manufacturers to differentiate products by adding information such as barcodes or promotional information.

Powder, syrups or granulate

Angelique van der Rijken, product manager, GEA Aquarius lollipop equipment, told ConfectioneryNews its customers are increasingly selling their products by piece instead of in packs and are putting the label with bar code on the stick and promotional activities inside the wrapping.

“The bench wrap wrapping style is the most common wrapping used in the lollipop business​,” she said.

She also spoke about the GEA Aquarius CoatingLine, which forms, cools, coats and wraps lollipops. Manufacturers can distinguish their lollipops from competitors by adding taste, color texture or shine with coatings of powder and granulates.

The flavors include sour powder which has proved to be successful, disco dip normally used for ice creams, caramel powder, and granulates provided by Dohler which is currently in its development phase for use on the CoatingLine.

GEA launched its Aquarius Coating Line at Interpack. Next to applying fluid, powder or granulate to a hard candy lollipop it can fill the product with bubble gum or chewy candy.

“We would like to work closely with our customers on these ideas for different coating applications​,” Kees Le Loux, segment sales manager, GEA Aquarius lollipop manufacturing equipment, said at the time. 

“We would like to invite interested customers to our facility in Weert (the Netherlands), to run tests on our coating test installation, such as sweet coatings for example, caramel, syrup and caster sugar​.

Chili coated lollipop

“The ideas extend to ground nuts, grated coconut, disco dip, sherbet and yogurt. Sweet and sour combinations can be applied​.”

Le Loux added it has also been experimenting with a chili coated lollipop, which is popular in Mexico, after a European customer asked for a line to produce chocolate-coated lollipops followed by a request in Mexico to produce chili-powder coated lollipops.

Other developments on display at the tradeshow in Dusseldorf, Germany, (May 4-10) included an entry-level thermoformer, ultra-hygienic vertical bagger system, and a quality control system for modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP).