UK company RPC Containers has manufactured a premium gift box for Nestle's global brand After Eight chocolate mints with an unusual s-shaped configuration.
"We wanted to differentiate the pack from traditional cardboard formats," explained Glenn Bartlett, brand manager for After Eight at Nestle. "Plastic offers increased scope to create a pack with a stylish, premium look."
The design, by Futurebrand, is said to offer maximum on-shelf appearance and user convenience. The box, shaped in an unusual 's' configuration, features a removable lid and a base. The product is held in two cardboard trays, which rest in grooves in the base of the box. These have been slightly offset to prevent slippage of the product.
RPC Market Rasen was asked to develop the design into a workable injection-moulded polystyrene container. In addition to manufacturing the box, Market Rasen's capabilities in labelling was called upon to provide the finish for the packaging. The company commissioned a bespoke labelling machine specifically built to handle the complex nature of the box and the labels.
The box was launched in time for the Christmas market, but Nestle is aiming to market the packaging year round.
"The After Eight box for Nestle demonstrates the capability of our injection-moulding operation to deliver excellent results to any specification," said Mike Wilkinson, sales manager at RPC.