Boveda (company)

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

Boveda Inc.
TypePrivately held company
IndustryManufacturing
Founded
  • Minnetonka, 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
10237 Yellow Circle Drive Minnetonka, 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)
ProductsBoveda, humidipak, the humidor bag
Websitebovedainc.com

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, to extend the shelf life of cannabis, 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 formulations chemist Albert Saari and by Robert Esse, a packaging expert, in 1996.[6] Saari and Esse both came from General Mills Corporation. The company was then founded on July 1, 1997. The company owns patents related to two-way humidity control for packaging, including multi-purpose Humidipaks that manage moisture, absorb oxygen and control mold.[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 relative humidity throughout the supply chain. As of 2015, Boveda self-distributes their products for the 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 cigars. As of 2014, Boveda is carried in over 2,500 stores globally.[12]

Because two-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] 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%.

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 [16]
2015 Cigar Journal Magazine Cigar Journal Awards Best Cigar Accessory Boveda Inc.'s Boveda Humidity Control Won [17]
2018 MG Magazine Best Companies to Work for in Cannabis [18]
2019 MG Magazine Top 50 Cannabis Employers of 2019 [19]
2019 Business Journal Best Places to Work 2019 [20]

References
  1. "Humidipak, Inc". Better Business Bureau. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  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.
  6. Albert L. Saari & Robert L. Esse (June 19, 2007). "Humidity control for long term storage of articles". Google Patents. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  7. "Climate control: Humidipak market extends from musicians to cigar manufacturers". Minneapolis – St. Paul Business Journal. February 29, 2004. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  8. "About Boveda". Boveda Inc. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  9. David Savona (July 8, 2008). "Rocky Patel Adds Humidipaks". Cigar Aficionado. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  10. David Savona (July 13, 2010). "Ashton Takes Over U.S. Distribution of Humidipak". Cigar Aficionado. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  11. "Humidipak Changing Name to Boveda Inc". Cigar Ambassador. March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on February 15, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  12. Jason Schmitz (September 18, 2014). "Boveda Retail Locations". Boveda Inc. Archived from the original on September 29, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  13. Gary Korb (July 9, 2010). "The 411 on Boveda Humidipaks". Cigar Advisor. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  14. 420 Magazine (November 12, 2013). "Boveda Humidipak". 420 magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  15. 420 Times (February 18, 2013). "The Benefits of Curing and Storing Your Cannabis Properly". 420 Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  16. Irene Rittler (August 4, 2012). "Cigar Journal Awards 2012". Cigar Journal Magazine. Archived from the original on February 19, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  17. "Cigar Journal Awards 2015". Cigar Journal Magazine.
  18. "50 Best Companies to Work for in Cannabis". MG Magazine.
  19. "Top 50 Cannabis Employers of 2019". MG Magazine.
  20. "Best Places to Work 2019: Boveda Inc". Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal.
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