Discover your next big idea in food packaging & processing this month
Experience a breakthrough in food packaging & processing—explore solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.

Getting the Mix Right at EW Packaging

Contract manufacturer’s new Rotary Batch Mixer from Munson Machinery slashes cycle times, overages for dry product operation.

An operator empties a scoop of hand-weighed powder into the mixer intake, which remains stationary as the vessel turns.
An operator empties a scoop of hand-weighed powder into the mixer intake, which remains stationary as the vessel turns.
Munson Machinery

When Rob Lonas founded EW Packaging in 2001, he started it as EW Trading, a business that outsourced packaging and printing. Over time, Lonas decided to bring these services in-house, rebranding as EW Packaging.

Today, the company has grown into a versatile operation, manufacturing and packaging powder, tablet, and capsule products for customers ranging from national warehouse clubs to dietary supplement retailers and government contracts.

EW Packaging produces sports nutrition products, energy drink mixes, food powders, dietary supplements in tablet, capsules, and powders.EW Packaging produces sports nutrition products, energy drink mixes, food powders, dietary supplements in tablet, capsules, and powders.Munson MachineryFrom its 30,000-square-foot facility in Los Angeles, EW Packaging handles everything from protein powders to energy drink mixes and sports nutrition products, including the EarthNutri.com nutraceutical line.

With more than 50 employees, EW Packaging runs six blister-filling lines, four bottle-filling lines, and in-house flexographic printing for custom pouches and blister foils. Carving out a niche in the contract manufacturing sector for dry products, EW Packaging prides itself on machining its tooling, enabling faster turnaround times and cost savings for its clients.

Evolving equipment for growing demands

By 2016, EW Packaging had expanded to include blending dietary supplements and food powders, as well as manufacturing tablets and capsules. However, its V-cone blender needed attention.

“The V-cone blender we used was a lot of work and there was a lot of downtime,” Lonas explains. “It took at least 30 minutes to get a load in and out, plus another 15 to 20 minutes of actual mixing.”

Next, he tried a ribbon blender, which reduced loading and unloading times but compromised blend quality. “The ribbon blender has corners, dead zones, where the powder isn’t mixed,” he says.

Sometimes EW added as much as 10 percent more active ingredient to the products than required for HPLC testing to confirm that the product met the label claim. In addition, the ribbon blender’s impeller put product quality at risk, Lonas says. “It chops up the ingredients and damages the product at the same time.”

Dairy Food & Beverage Innovations Report
Discover cutting-edge packaging and processing solutions in the inaugural Packaging World/ProFood World Innovations Report. From high-speed filling machines to mono-material lids, see how the latest advancements from PACK EXPO International 2024 are driving safety, sustainability, and extended shelf life—shaping the future of dairy food and beverage packaging.
Access Now
Dairy Food & Beverage Innovations Report
Researched List: Engineering Services Firms
Looking for engineering services? Our curated list features 100+ companies specializing in civil, process, structural, and electrical engineering. Many also offer construction, design, and architecture services. Download to access company names, markets served, key services, contact information, and more!
Download Now
Researched List: Engineering Services Firms