It's not really a food story, but today we'll take a step away from the culinary to take our hats off to a bit of packaging.
A certain 'pop' culture icon has just turned 50, with Bubble Wrap celebrating its golden anniversary on January 26.
The cushioning product, whose story began in a building the size of a small garage in Hawthorne, New Jersey, USA, is now one of the most recognised products in the world.
Originally intended use for Bubble Wrap cushioning was entirely different than how it is used today.
Inventors Marc Chavannes and Al Fielding originally developed a plastic they hoped to market as textured wallpaper. When that idea did not take off, the inventors began to have some success marketing the product as a greenhouse insulator.
Legend goes that it was not until Chavannes was on an airplane over Newark Airport that the "eureka" moment happened. As the plane descended, Chavannes noted that the billowy clouds appeared to be cushioning the plane. It was at that moment he realised that Bubble Wrap could be used as an improvement from paper and old newspapers for cushioning fragile items.
Once the opportunity was identified, the inventors worked on the manufacturing process for Bubble Wrap cushioning in an effort to create an ideal packaging material. After a lot of tinkering, they developed a special, proprietary barrier protection which prevented air from leaking and resulted in the crisp "Pop" that Bubble Wrap is famous for.
To celebrate it's 50th birthday, Sealed Air, the makers of Bubble Wrap, will conduct a special run of gold Bubble Wrap - for one day, the factory lines in the company's Saddle River, New Jersey facility will swap from making clear wrap to gold.
"We are thrilled to have the golden opportunity to celebrate 50 years of our hallmark brand, Bubble Wrap," said William V. Hickey, president and CEO of Sealed Air.
"We are honored to manufacture a product that not only serves to cushion fragile materials, but also provides the added benefit of helping to de-stress and bring smiles to the faces of people of all ages worldwide."
The invention of Bubble Wrap cushioning led to the founding of Sealed Air, a Fortune 500 Company that owns the registered trademark, in 1960. Today, Sealed Air operates in 52 countries and each year the company makes enough Bubble Wrap to stretch to the moon and back.
"Inventors Marc Chavannes and Al Fielding could never have guessed that their clever concept for a new packaging material would draw the world to that irresistible 'pop!'" said Rohn E. Shellenberger, business manager, Bubble Wrap. "We're sure they would both be proud to know what a global icon their invention has become."
Bubble Wrap cushioning has more than two million fans on Facebook and has inspired users to come up with hundreds of different uses.
Source: Sealed Air