Case Studies

Co-op were looking to introduce a range of hydroponically grown lettuces, supplied with their roots still in tact to offer the consumer a fresher and longer-lasting product. Co-op were keen to find a paper packaging option for the range of lettuces but this presented a distinct challenge – how would it be able to withstand the high moisture level without losing its overall structural rigidity? The team at Westpak were tasked with finding the ideal material that could accommodate this specific packaging requirement.

Hairspring Watercress

Hairspring Watercress is renowned for the amazing quality of its produce which is sold to a network of wholesalers, retailers an urban food markets. The business was looking to move away from using polystyrene boxes and move towards a more sustainable packaging solution. We were tasked with finding a solution that would offer a vast improvement in sustainability while still being sufficiently robust to accommodate high moisture levels as well as the stresses of routine handling and transportation.

Marks & Spencer Banana Bands

The iconic Marks & Spencer brand was looking for a more sustainably-aware packaging solution for its organic range of bananas – one that would offer a significant reduction in plastic and not detract from the wonderful freshness and vibrancy of the produce itself. This central environmental consideration also needed to be given particular prominence given the organic nature of the product range.The revised packaging also needed to effortlessly convey M&S’s branding and visual identity.

Co-op Living Lettuce Bags

Copas Fruit Farms

The Copas Farm fruit fields place a strong emphasis on their ‘pick-your-own’ service, welcoming a large number of visitors each year to pick the best of this seasonal fresh produce. The farms wanted to offer customers a pick-your-own bucket that was manufactured to be more environmentally friendly and well as being robust and practical. They were also keen to introduce stronger overall branding on the bucket design with large graphics that would successfully carry their visual identify.

Annabel’s Deliciously British Rhubarb & Daffodils

‘Annabel’s Deliciously British’ is a brand typically associated with fresh strawberries. Two more very recent additions to the range include picked daffodils and ‘forced’ rhubarb which utilises a traditional growing technique. Westpak have worked previously with ‘Annabel’s Deliciously British’ in creating a sustainable strawberry box design and we were delighted to work with the brand again to help develop packaging that would help successfully launch these wonderful new product lines.

Waitrose Unpacked

Waitrose were looking to convert their Botley Road store into a brand-new shopping concept. Branded Waitrose UnPacked, this store would pioneer a new way to shop with emphasis on customers bringing their own reusable containers to fill up in the store. Waitrose needed plastic free packaging to transport the fruit from the grower to store but look right whilst merchandised and then provide a way for shoppers to practically transport the produce home.

Chartwells Meal Parcels

Chartwells is known for serving millions of meals to schools and high education institutions and is a provider of free school meals for eligible children who were not attending school due to the Coronavirus pandemic. During the height of national lockdown measures, Chartwells needed to significantly increase its supply of meal ‘transport boxes’. This supply chain issue needed to be resolved within a matter of days in order to ensure these vital meal parcels continued to be sent where they were needed across the UK.

Annabel’s Strawberry Boxes

Backed by over 15 years of experience in growing strawberries, Annabel Makin- Jones had launched an amazing brand. The current 1 kilo strawberry packaging wasn’t meeting the brand’s sustainability requirements. Made from MDF these boxes were robust but required a large amount of energy to make and were not readily recyclable. They were also delivered from the supplier made-up, making them inefficient to transport. The tough part was swapping this for a plastic-free alternative that was strong, brandable and recyclable.

Heart Shaped Strawberry Punnets

Our client, a large supplier of soft fruit to UK retailers, wanted to feature heart-shaped punnets for their strawberries to tie into the marketing potential around Valentine’s Day. There were a lack of viable options on the market and it would have been over-budget for the client to have developed their own new punnet. Westpak were tasked with finding a suitable solution. We need to operate within a strict time-frame to ensure the strawberries were on shelves in time for Valentine’s Day.

GBK Cutlery Bag

As part of the response to the pandemic, Gourmet Burger Kitchen needed a packaging solution to ensure total hygiene for the handling of cutlery. Westpak had just launched a paper cutlery bag designed for the needs of such restaurant operators. Restaurant customers would tear the bag open along a perforated line to access they own clean cutlery. Westpak were able to utilise its speedy customer service team, and logistics capability to deliver bags to every GBK location as they come back on.

Abel & Cole Punnets

Abel & Cole are a well-established organic vegetable box company that places a strong value on its sustainability credentials. The brand wanted to fully move away from plastic packaging and embrace a far more environmentally-conscious product. On a practical level, they also required punnets that would suit their unique way of storing and packing produce. After a lengthy consultation period with, Westpak created a selection of packaging designs that successfully fulfilled these specific requirements.

Secretts Re-branding

When you are supplying high quality produce from your own well-managed farms, branding is vitally important to create a look and feel to match the quality of the produce inside the packaging. This was the challenge for Secretts, who were producing high quality produce, but didn’t feel the packaging was doing it justice. They wanted to move away from plain, unbranded packaging and move to printed punnets and boxes that would be instantly recognisable and attract the buyers for high end eateries.

Caffè Concerto

Caffè Concerto is a renowned Italian restaurant with locations across the UK and Middle East. Following a successful refinement of the brand’s visual identity, Caffè Concerto needed re-designed packaging for its takeaway coffee. This had to fully encapsulate the sense of luxury carried across the brand. Gold foil block printing was incorporated into the design which required fine detail while not sacrificing legibility. The project’s lead time needed to be remain at 3-4 weeks and needed to control costs to remain affordable.

Chicken Cottage Ice Cream

Chicken Cottage are one of the most well known fast food franchises in the UK. In 2020, the brand wanted to launch a range of carefully selected ice cream flavours to join its menu. This ice cream range needed to convey strong branding while abiding to their product sustainably considerations. This also needed to be achieved against a challenging economic background while ensuring seamless logistical processes and timely delivery for the launch date.

Azzurri Group

Honest Burgers

Gourmet Burger Kitchen

Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Medjool Dates

Zespri Sungold Kiwi Boxes

Orchard World Easy Peeler Boxes