Award-winning luxury packaging boosts demand for gourmet chocolates

Award-winning luxury packaging boosts demand for gourmet chocolates
When Hammer-Lübeck won a Pro Carton/ECMA Carton Award for the second time in four years, Nick Coombes looked into the secret of its sweet success.
 
Chocolate is both a consumable product and a luxury gift – but how do you differentiate between the two? The answer is with packaging.
 
In the case of Wagner Pralinen, a chocolate manufacturer renowned for its gourmet treats, the task of adding greater shelf impact for the pralinen fell to German carton converter Hammer-Lübeck Faltschachtelwerk, and the Michael Derpmann agency (Derpmann Design). The result was dramatic and award-winning.
 
When a consumer lifts a box of Wagner Pralinen chocolates from the shelf, he or she can immediately tell that the chocolates are special. The manufacturer’s name appears in embossed lettering, lending the overall packaging a delicate design, and window cut-outs offer a mouth-watering view of the chocolates themselves, while adding depth to the packaging.
 
Clever use of a spot-coated circle and embossed frame enlarge the image to appear as though the chocolates are being viewed through a magnifying glass. To achieve this striking effect, sophisticated finishing was used, and one of the key elements was the choice of Sappi’s Algro Design, a high-quality bright white virgin fiber SBB cartonboard.
 
Emotions made tangible
According to Derpmann Design, the aim was not to develop a wrapper but a product that made emotions tangible, linking product appeal with packaging that would stand out on shop shelves and denote luxury products from a highly individual brand.
 
‘We are extremely proud of this project and the recognition it earned,’ said Wolfgang Grotmann, managing director of Hammer-Lübeck.
 
‘We were able to bring our extensive knowledge of finishing and production expertise to the partnership. The design is simple, but the impression of looking at the chocolates through a magnifying glass was what grabbed the judges’ eye.
 
‘High-quality printing and finishing on a simple white background was the icing on the chocolates, so to speak, and reinforces the overall effect of the luxury packaging.’
 
The challenge facing Hammer-Lübeck was to design a package that would allow relatively thin and fragile chocolate bars to be delivered without damage. Using a design with a double-worked reverse side solved the problem.
 
Hammer-Lübeck also had to take into account that Wagner Pralinen offers its products under private labels in relatively small, customized runs, which meant that tool changes had to be kept to a minimum when changing brands.
 
Robust packaging for fragile products
‘The Wagner Pralinen chocolates are very thin,’ explained Christoph Grund, sales manager at Hammer-Lübeck. ‘But one layer of 300gsm board, with double rear-wall reinforcement, offered the necessary protection. The design allowed us to process these special folding cartons mechanically rather than finishing them by hand, which would have increased the cost exponentially.
 
‘We were also looking for a bright white board that would highlight the embossing. And, of course, the combination of the board, made from virgin fibers, and the inks and varnishes, all needed to conform to current food packaging manufacturing regulations.’
 
The process in production
First of all, Hammer-Lübeck covered the bright white virgin fiberboard with a special primer and a matte varnish. The gold “Wagner” lettering was applied with hot foil stamping, and covered with spot UV textured varnish. The various pigments produced a glittery effect, emphasized by the use of matte and gloss textures.
 
The “Wagner” lettering, which is repeated across all white portions of the packaging, was embossed in a separate operation, as were the frame and the circle logo. Hammer-Lübeck then created the punch-outs in line with the specifications – window cut-outs that were shaped according to the target product.
 
The final operation was the adhesion of the second layer of board on the reverse side of the carton to provide extra package strength and protect the delicate chocolates from breaking.
 
The choice of Algro Design
The Sappi product was selected for its bright white surface, and the fact that its virgin fibers added the strength to withstand a wide range of special finishing processes. Among the most popular SBB cartonboards in the market, it is especially good for luxury packaging, and draws approval from both consumers and brand owners.
 
According to Sappi, Algro Design, double-coated on one side, and Algro Design Duo, double-coated symmetrically on both sides, showcase the company’s expertise in SBB board manufacturing. Its bright white finish, consistent quality, and high level of light resistance, provide virtually endless processing options, while its silky soft surface add to its appeal.
 
With its ability to support clearer print images and increased contrast, the manufacturer claims the board visually supports the quality of the brand and increases brand recognition and the value of the product itself.
 
Consumers vote with their wallets
For the three companies involved, Derpmann Design, Wagner Pralinen and Hammer-Lübeck, the development of this packaging was a challenge of creativity and technical implementation.
 
Their collaboration delivered a product that conveys the image of quality and luxury and helps the Wagner products stand out against competing products on crowded shop shelves. In fact, the newly packaged Wagner Pralinen products are proving so popular that another print run will soon be needed.
 
Hammer-Lübeck was recognized for its quality work in 2007, prior to the latest award, and this family owned business, which was originally founded in 1919 in Lübeck, Germany, has specialized in folding cartons since the 1970s. Today, it employs 330 staff at two sites (Lübeck, and Posen in Poland), and continues its tradition of manufacturing high-quality food packaging for customers in Germany and around the world.
 
This article was published in Package Print Worldwide issue #4, 2012
 
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