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Boveda (company)

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This article is about a Wayzata, Minnesota–based corporation. For the municipality in the province of Lugo, Galicia, northwestern Spain, see Bóveda.
Boveda Inc.
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryManufacturing
Founded
  • Wayzata, Minnesota, United States
  • (July 1, 1997 (1997-07-01), as Humidipak Inc.; March 2012 (2012-03), re-branded as Boveda Inc.)
Founder
  • Sean Knutsen
  • Timothy Swail
  • Robert Esse
  • Albert Saari
Headquarters
17613 Minnetonka Boulevard Wayzata, Minnesota
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Sean Knutsen (President & CEO)
  • Timothy Swail (Executive Vice President for Marketing)
  • Robert Esse (Vice President for Packaging Technology)
  • Jason Schmitz (VP of Operations)
  • Charles Rutherford II (Director of Business Development)
ProductsBoveda, humidipak, the humidor bag
Websitebovedainc.com

Boveda Inc., formerly known as 'Humidipak Inc., is a manufacturing company based in Wayzata, Minnesota, United States. It specializes in humidity control for a multitude of industries and applications. It was founded on July 1, 1997.[1]

The company's technologies are used by cigar companies for shipping and distributing cigars, cigar connoisseurs for storing and aging fine cigars, art museums and collectors for conserving fine art, food manufacturers for extending shelf-life and improving the flavor delivered to consumers, musical instrument manufacturers and musicians for maintaining instruments over a lifetime, and by users for many other applications.[2][3][4][5]

History

The official logo of Humidipak Inc. from 1997 until it was re-branded as Boveda Inc. in 2012.

The technology behind Humidipak was co-engineered by Albert Saari, PhD, formulations chemist, and by Robert Esse, a high-level packaging expert in 1996.[6] Saari and Esse both came from General Mills Corporation. The company was then founded in June 1, 1997. In December 1998, they were granted their first patent for 2-way humidity control. All of the 31-claims submitted to the U.S. Patent Office were accepted in the original patent. Since then, many international patents have also been awarded. In addition to the original patent, Humidipak has been awarded (or has submitted) several other patents relating to 2-way humidity control for packaging, including multi-purpose Humidipaks that, in addition to managing moisture, absorb oxygen and control mold all in one pack.[7][8]

In 2008, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars started to manufacture a custom-printed Humidipak humidity control packet in order to make the cigars properly humidified.[9] Between 2010 and 2014, Ashton Distributors Inc., was the exclusive U.S. distributor of the Humidipak and Boveda brands for the premium cigar market.[10] Boveda now self-distributes.

Humidipak Inc. was re-branded as Boveda Inc. in the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) 2012 convention.[8][11]

Marketing and distribution

Numerous companies use the Boveda technology in their product packaging to maintain a precise relative humidity throughout the supply chain. Some companies that uses Boveda technology for 2-way humidity control are Arturo Fuente, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, Oliva, Padron, Swisher International, Altadis, CAO, Drew Estate, Toraño, Crux Cigars, EPC Cigar Co, Matilde Cigars, CLE Cigars, Nat Sherman and La Flor Dominicana. As of 2015, Boveda self-distributes their products for the premium cigar market in the United States.[10] Internationally, Boveda has numerous distributors in Canada, South America, Southeast Asia & East Asia, Europe and South Africa. D'Addario distributes Boveda's line of Humidipak humidity control products for the music industry.

Market applications

The initial market application for Humidipak was engineered for premium cigars and came at a time when the cigar industry was in its glory years. In less than two years, Humidipak's technology was sold in over 1,000 tobacconists across the world and many of the world's top premium cigar brands adopted the technology as standard inclusion inside of every box and package shipped from the factory. As of 2014, Boveda is carried in over 2,500 stores globally.[12]

Because 2-way humidity control is engineered to maintain a very specific, predetermined level of relative humidity (+/- 2% RH), the technology is being used to solve moisture related packaging problems for many different industries and applications.[13]

Some of these new applications are herbal medicine and medical cannabis,[14][15][16] wooden instruments, pet food, and electronics.

Boveda products are available in relative humidity (RH) levels ranging from 11% to 95% RH. Commercial formulas are currently available in the following RH levels: 11, 20, 32, 49, 50, 59, 62, 65, 67, 69, 72, 75, 78, 84, and 95%.

Patents

Boveda Inc. applied numerous US patents for their products and all have foreign equivalent patents on Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[17][18]

Humidity Control System for Wood Products

US Patent number US 8748723 , A humidity control device for use in maintaining the desired humidity for wood musical instrument, art objects and museum artifacts, the device including a water vapor permeable pouch and a saturated aqueous solution having a suitable humidity control point for use with these objects.[19]

Humidity Control Device

US Patent number US 5936178 , is a humidity control device used for maintaining a desired humidity. The device includes a protective case, a water vapor permeable pouch and a thickened saturated solution, with the solution having a suitable humidity control point.[20]

Humidity Control Device for Gun Cases

US Patent number US 6244432 , is a gun case humidity control device used for maintaining a desired humidity in the gun case. The device includes a protective case, a water vapor permeable pouch and a thickened saturated solution, with the solution having a suitable humidity control point.[21]

Preservation of Intermediate Moisture Foods

US Patent number US 6921026 , is a humidity control device used for maintaining a desired humidity in packages of food. The device includes a protective case, a water vapor permeable pouch and a thickened saturated solution, the solution having a suitable humidity control point for use within a food container. The device further employs a combination of an oxygen scavenger system to stop mold growth with anaerobic conditions and/or a mold inhibitor in the filling of the pouch or preferentially printed on the outside of the pouch.[22]

Awards

Year Organization Awards Category Nominated Results Source
2012 Cigar Journal Magazine Cigar Journal Awards Best Cigar Accessory Boveda Inc.'s Boveda Humidity Control Won [23]
2015 Cigar Journal Magazine Cigar Journal Awards Best Cigar Accessory Boveda Inc.'s Boveda Humidity Control Won [24]

References

  1. ^ "Humidipak, Inc". Better Business Bureau. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Robert Steele (2004). Understanding and Measuring the Shelf-Life of Food. Woodhead Publishing. p. 407. ISBN 9781855737327.
  3. ^ Joseph Kerry & Paul Butler (2008). Smart Packaging Technologies for Fast Moving Consumer Goods. John Wiley & Sons. p. 356. ISBN 9780470753682.
  4. ^ Da-Wen Sun (2012). Handbook of Frozen Food Processing and Packaging. CRC Press. p. 917. ISBN 9781439836040.
  5. ^ PIanetWaves (February 11, 2009). "Bob Taylor on Humidipak". YouTube. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Albert L. Saari & Robert L. Esse (June 19, 2007). "Humidity control for long term storage of articles". Google Patents. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ "Climate control: Humidipak market extends from musicians to cigar manufacturers". Minneapolis – St. Paul Business Journal. February 29, 2004. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ a b "About Boveda". Boveda Inc. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ David Savona (July 8, 2008). "Rocky Patel Adds Humidipaks". Cigar Aficionado. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ a b David Savona (July 13, 2010). "Ashton Takes Over U.S. Distribution of Humidipak". Cigar Aficionado. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Humidipak Changing Name to Boveda Inc". Cigar Ambassador. March 7, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Jason Schmitz (September 18, 2014). "Boveda Retail Locations". Boveda Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Gary Korb (July 9, 2010). "The 411 on Boveda Humidipaks". Cigar Advisor. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Drake Dorm (March 7, 2014). "Boveda: Optimizing Cannabis Storage Through 2-Way Humidity Control". Medical Jane. Retrieved March 7, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ 420 Magazine (November 12, 2013). "Boveda Humidipak". 420 magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ 420 Times (February 18, 2013). "The Benefits of Curing and Storing Your Cannabis Properly". 420 Times. Retrieved September 17, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Gregory Mottola (March 2009). "Humidipak Solutions". Cigar Aficionado. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "Boveda Patents for 2-way humidity control". Boveda Inc. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "Humidity Control System for Wood Products". IP.com. Retrieved September 18, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ "Humidity control device". IP.com. Retrieved September 18, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference IP 4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "Preservation of intermediate moisture foods by controlling humidity and inhibition of mold growth". IP.com. Retrieved September 18, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ Irene Rittler (August 4, 2012). "Cigar Journal Awards 2012". Cigar Journal Magazine. Retrieved January 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ "Cigar Journal Awards 2015". Cigar Journal Magazine. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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