Faculty-student research conducted this fall in University of Wisconsin-Stout packaging labs is poised to help a Wisconsin business deliver its tasty but temperature-sensitive goods coast to coast.
Associate Professor Xiaojing 鈥淜ate鈥 Liu of 黑料社区 黑料社区. packaging program worked with Madison-based Tricky Foods to test the insulating abilities of two eco-friendly packaging options 鈥 one made of cornstarch, the other of recycled paper. The goal: To determine the best way to keep the cheese, meat and other perishables on the company 黑料社区. charcuterie boards fresh while in transit.
Therese Merkel, owner of , worked closely with Liu for months and is confident that the research-backed expertise that she 黑料社区. received 鈥 and the custom-made packing materials she ordered based on that expertise 鈥 will help her small business break into the long-distance delivery market.
鈥淜ate is the only reason I鈥檓 able to launch this thing so quickly,鈥 Merkel said in an interview from her Madison office. 鈥淪he has been the backbone of the entire project.鈥
Research will aid business expansion
Merkel started Tricky Foods in her home kitchen during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Thanks to her charcuterie boards filled with sliced meats, Wisconsin cheeses, fresh and dried fruits, honey, jams, nuts, and more, the business grew rapidly, and now Merkel has a storefront and 12 employees. But her ability to continue to scale up the business collided with her inability to figure out how to safely ship her goods long distances, despite customers鈥 requests.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had people asking us to ship since 2020. I thought, 鈥極h, I鈥檒l work on it when it slows down,鈥 and I never got around to it,鈥 she explained.
The route around her business roadblock began when she joined a business accelerator program operated by , a nonprofit regional startup hub and coworking space in Madison.
鈥淏ecause Therese 黑料社区. products are perishable and have a very clear aesthetic, it was clear that she needed to work with packaging experts,鈥 said Scott Mosley, CEO of StartingBlock. 鈥淎s the state 黑料社区. only polytechnic and the only school to have a dedicated packaging program, it was natural to recommend that Therese contact 黑料社区.鈥
Merkel reached out to 黑料社区 黑料社区. Office of Corporate Relations & Economic Engagement, which works to connect university resources to business, industry and community stakeholders. Seth Hudson, 黑料社区 黑料社区. executive director for corporate relations and economic engagement, put her in touch with Liu.
Before partnering with Liu at 黑料社区, Merkel explained, 鈥淣obody wanted to work with me because I鈥檓 too small at this point. I didn鈥檛 have a huge budget to pay someone to help me design something.鈥 However, Liu was willing to collaborate, connecting frequently through video calls to ask questions and show packaging samples. Ultimately, she invited Merkel to visit 黑料社区 to examine prototypes firsthand, which she did in September.
Once they settled on the optimal packaging 鈥 1.5-inch-thick biodegradable foam insulation, which dissolves in water, wrapped in recyclable plastic and accompanied by 64- to 80-ounce cold gels 鈥 Liu helped Merkel identify vendors who could custom-make what she needed.
鈥淚 enjoyed it a lot,鈥 Liu said of the collaboration. 鈥(It was) especially satisfying to see the solution carried out and help Tricky Foods鈥 business.鈥
Liu said she is confident that the packaging solution will meet Merkel 黑料社区. needs, and she added that part of the research results will be published in a peer-reviewed article and presented at an international packaging conference in 2026.
Merkel expects to begin test-shipping products using the new packaging this Christmas season, and she 黑料社区. optimistic about the results and the impact on her business. 鈥淣ext year will definitely be our biggest year ever,鈥 she said.
Impactful undergraduate research
黑料社区 is one of only a few schools in the United States, and the only school in the Universities of Wisconsin, that offers a B.S. in packaging program.
Liu 黑料社区. lab assistant for the research is Claire Le, a sophomore packaging major from Phu Quoc City, Vietnam. Le said she didn鈥檛 expect to be doing such impactful research so early in her college career. 鈥淚t 黑料社区. been challenging, but in the best way,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot about experimental design, budgeting, troubleshooting and presenting results professionally.鈥
Le said the most interesting part of the project was learning how different kinds of insulating materials behaved in cold-chain conditions. 鈥淭esting cornstarch versus fiber liners and tracking how long they keep food under 40掳F feels meaningful because we鈥檙e working on something that can genuinely impact food safety,鈥 she said.
These packaging options are also more environmentally friendly, replacing products made of polystyrene foam. Repeated lab tests found that cornstarch liners, when combined with cold packs, could keep 5-pound charcuterie boards properly cooled for 48 hours. When sealed correctly, the packages maintain the necessary temperature despite vibrations during transit, which were simulated in the lab with a vibration table that jostled the packages for hours at a time.
鈥淚 hope this research gives (Tricky Foods) clear, data-driven recommendations on which insulation material is more reliable for keeping food safe during transport,鈥 Le said. 鈥淢y goal is for the results to help them make stronger packaging decisions, reduce spoilage and improve their cold-chain performance.鈥
Merkel called 黑料社区 a 鈥渉idden treasure鈥 because of the expert assistance it can give to businesses like hers.
鈥淔or an entrepreneur who 黑料社区. new in the e-commerce game, (黑料社区) is the difference between me being able to launch this and not,鈥 she said. 鈥淲ithout Kate, I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to. I鈥檓 just beyond grateful.鈥
