As fall kicks off and the busy holiday season approaches, Novolex welcomes the opportunity to spotlight a diverse portfolio of innovative catering solutions that prioritize design and durability. These solutions would not be possible without the work of Matt Materne, Senior Product Manager, and Dan Kordecki, Director of Sales for Waddington North America, whose leadership and expertise have developed a strong product offering in this increasingly competitive segment.
Meet the Catering Experts
Matt Materne has been part of the Novolex family for the past 18 years, starting in an inside sales role. Now, as a Senior Manager in product management and development, Matt helps customers find innovative ways to use existing products or develop new solutions to fulfill customer needs. “Novolex sets itself apart by being open to various material substrates, including paper, traditional and bio-plastics, and molded fiber,” said Matt.
Matt shares this solutions-oriented approach with Dan Kordecki, who enjoys developing new product solutions. Dan has spent most of his career developing value-added products that customers view as enhancing a product’s presentation or catering experience. By listening to consumer demand and innovating accordingly, Dan believes that Novolex will continue to set itself apart from other packaging producers.
Versatile Catering Solutions for Every Occasion
Novolex set out to design trays and containers that could work with industry partners’ insulated pan carrier products, ultimately providing top-of-the-line catering solutions. This product line can keep food hot or cold and be used at corporate or other institutional events or at-home hosting. By partnering with well-known brands, Novolex has developed a wide range of products branded by its customers and designed for convenient food storage and serving.
The Caterline® Convertibowl™ Trays are reusable and versatile, allowing the top and bottom of the clear container to serve different purposes on different occasions. “This particular tray and several others in our line are innovative in that they can be used as a platter with a domed lid, or you can flip it, and it's a salad bowl with a lid. It’s one product that's used multiple ways, and we have several different sizes,” said Matt, reflecting on the versatility of Caterline® trays.
After the pandemic, it became clear that consumers needed a drop-off catering and family-size meal packaging option. With the Blaze® Family Size Containers, Novolex innovated a more aesthetically pleasing option with a clear lid and added the flexibility to store it in a warming drawer and reheat it in the microwave or in flameless warming trays. “This is a better way for a caterer to present their food and keep it at safe serving temperatures,” shared Dan. As is the case with all Novolex products, sustainability is at the forefront of everyone's mind. The containers and lids rinse easily for disposal in the recycling bin (check locally) and are durable enough to be hand-washed and reused if desired.
“We’ve come up with product lines that are innovative in their combined utility and design which enables them to serve more than one function.” Under Matt and Dan’s leadership, Novolex will continue to improve existing catering solutions and innovate new products to meet customer needs.