ALTHOUGH PERHAPS still best known for the brickshaped "juice box" carton it produces, today's Tetra Pak is a uniquely diversified company.

Uniquely diversified because this company can offer the Canadian food industry solutions to both their packaging and food processing needs. Founded in 1951 in Sweden, Tetra Pak grew to be one of the largest beverage carton manufacturers in the world. However, the company changed dramatically in 1993 when it acquired the internationally renowned food processing company Alfa Laval. From operating strictly in one industry, Tetra Pak now moved into two business worlds: food packaging and processing. Two different worlds, undoubtedly, yet very closely related.

Today, Tetra Pak can position itself as a single source supplier to its customers. State-of-the-art food processing solutions and an array of packaging alternatives are all a part of Tetra Pak's expertise.
 

1. Perhaps best known for the brick-shaped "juice box" it produces, Tetra Pak manufacturers an array of packaging alternative. 2. Tetra Pak packages safely and efficiently distrubute a variety of liquid foods to consumers the world over.

The juice box, which today remains a popular food package of choice, is only one of many packaging options offered by Tetra Pak. The company is in no way limited to this type of packaging, instead it works to give its customers and consumers an ever-expanding spectrum of choices. For instance, Tetra Pak recently made its foray into the world of plastics. Plastic pouches and bottles are now a part of Tetra Pak's product mix.

Tetra Pak also supplies the food processing industry with processing and packaging solutions for viscous and solid foods, prepared food, fats & oils, and ice cream.

Tetra Pak is one of three divisions that makes up the Tetra Laval Group. The other divisions are:

Alfa Laval: Alfa Laval specializes in key products such as separators, flow equipment, heat exchangers, and computer-based control and monitoring systems. This company is the world's largest manufacturer of plate and spiral heat exchangers used in a variety of industrial applications including the heating and cooling of buildings.

Alfa Laval Agri: Alfa Laval Agri is the world's largest supplier of equipment, systems and accessories for dairy production and animal husbandry.

Each of the three divisions holds a strong position in its own field, and together the group of companies can service customers from the farmer's field to the consumers table.

In Canada, the company's corporate headquarters is located in Aurora, Ontario. It is here that Tetra Brik Aseptic packages (or "juice boxes") are manufactured for dairies and juice manufacturers across Canada, and for export markets around the world. Tetra Pak has one other Canadian manufacturing facility in St-Leonard, Quebec. Here, gable top milk cartons are produced for customers across Canada and parts of the United States.

Additionally, sales and technical offices are located in Dorval, Quebec, and Vancouver, British Columbia. In Canada, Tetra Pak employs approximately 300 people in various positions including manufacturing, technical services, sales and marketing, and finance. Around the world, the company employs approximately 16,000 people in over 100 countries.