Market figures indicate that people are nuts about nuts. The nut market in the U.S. is valued at more than $64 billion in 2024, a figure that is projected to rise to $104 billion in the next 10 years, according to market intelligence and research firm Future Market Insights. 

One of the companies reportedly leading the charge in supplying those savory snacks is John B. Sanfilippo & Son (JBSS), one of the industry’s largest processors and distributors of tree nuts and peanuts in the U.S. The company’s humble roots trace back to 1922, when Gaspare Sanfilippo and his son John founded a pecan shelling company in Chicago. Through the decades, the company continued to grow. 

Today, JBSS products are sold under the company’s brand names Fisher, Squirrel Brand, Just the Cheese, Southern Style Nuts, and Orchard Valley Harvest, as well as under numerous private label brands. The company operates five U.S. facilities, with its corporate headquarters located just west of Chicago in Elgin, IL. One of the keys to JBSS’ long-term success is creating lasting partnerships with other industry OEMs, such as Bartelt Packaging, to provide equipment and expertise for its packaging operations. 

JBSS has been a trusting customer of Bartelt, operating its horizontal form fill and seal machines at its Elgin facility for the past several years. When the company was looking to increase output on one of its packaging lines, it removed an older machine and replaced it with the new K-260, a flexible horizontal form fill and seal roll stock pouching machine from Bartelt that offers fast, intuitive changeovers. 

“We changeover all the time, multiple times a day, and that’s one of the things we needed to make sure that line can do is run a number of different product sizes and bag styles,” says Eric Hermes, senior packaging engineering, JBBS. “We run really small 1-oz bags on that line, all the way up to large 2-lb bags. The solution we sought needed that flexibility to meet our changing product runs—that is key for us.”

“The K Series is a good fit for Sanfilippo because of its size ranges,” says Lou Pelnar, regional sales manager, Bartelt. “The machine gives them the ability to run a wide range of sizes. This level of flexibility is something that’s important on this line for JBSS.”

Sarasota, FL.-based Bartelt is a manufacturer of pouching, cartoning, shrink wrapping, overwrapping, and case and tray packing systems for a variety of food and consumer product industries. Its distinction as developer of the world’s first intermittent motion horizontal form fill seal pouching machine positions Bartelt as a pioneer in automated packaging. Bartelt is a product brand of ProMach, a global provider of packaging line solutions.

The K-260 is a servo-driven horizontal form, fill, and seal pouching machine that produces flexible pouches from roll stock, which is formed into either flat or gusset-style pouches. 

Pouches are heat-sealed using temperature-controlled seal bars. They are then cut and transferred into the dual clamping system and transported to the filling and closing module of the machine. Pouches are opened with a servo-controlled opening and closing system. After pouches are filled, they are transferred to the top seal area where they are closed, sealed and discharged.

The K-260 can produce a wide variety of packaging styles, including three- or four-sided seal, gusset bottom, doy stand-up pouch, zipper pouch, and others. In addition to nuts and snacks, the K-260 is suited for confectionary, fruits and vegetables, household, pet care and other industries. 

Ahallmark of Bartelt machinery is its reliability, a key component to JBSS’ long-term success, according to the producer. 

"We definitely know what we’re getting with Bartelt,” Hermes says. “We’ve got some older units that keep chugging along; we’ve had some of them rebuilt just to make sure we can keep running them. That’s kind of our go-to. When we know we need a stand-up bag line that’s going to be high volume, high output, high quality, that’s where we’re going—we’re going to Bartelt.”

“What makes this relationship kind of special is how Bartelt and John B. Sanfilippo grow with each other and support each other. We’re here to support them, and we have obviously quite a bit of machines here,” Pelnar adds. 

Hermes traveled to Bartlet’s headquarters in Sarasota for a factory acceptance test evaluation of his new machine, a step Bartelt always recommends to customers to streamline the installation process. 

JBSS operates a total of four horizontal pouch machines from Bartelt, with its newest unit, the K-260, installed in 2023. The company reports the machine is proving to be a workhorse for JBSS, as on average the line runs about 20 hours a day, five days a week.

“If flexibility and being able to control your line are important, then Bartelt is the company to partner with,” Hermes says. “They understand who we are, and we understand who they are. Bartelt is a solid company to work with.”

Watch and learn more about the partnership between John B. Sanfilippo & Son and Bartelt.

Related: TreeHouse Foods sells snack bar business, facility to John B. Sanfilippo & Son