Chocolatiers need to stand out in the market

​Candy and confectionery packaging come into focus around Valentine's Day, but companies strive to make their product stand out year-round. And with more delicious competition from boutique and premium snack makers every year, it's the packaging that sets the best apart.

​Candy and snack packages have a rich history in the United States, going back a couple of hundred years, with modern-style boxes emerging in the early to mid-20th century. Waxed paper bags -- think Ritz Crackers -- came to hold chips, cereals and all manner of quick snacks that were once doled out in bulk by a grocery store clerk. Later, plastic bags inside individual paper boxes put an end to the wasted crumbs at the bottom of the shopkeeper's barrel and began to resemble today's shelf-stable packages.

Famously, the Hershey company popularized the wrapped chocolate bar throughout the world and produced 26 million of the hand-held confections per week by the end of World War II. The Hershey's wrapper is iconic in its chocolate-hued simplicity. It needs no further ornamentation to distinguish itself in the mass market. Indeed, Hershey created the mass market for chocolate.

​Today's chocolatiers, premium confectioners, and boutique snack purveyors need to stand out in the market using high-quality packaging, eye-catching designs, vibrant colors and specialty print techniques. In essence, a package keeps the snack safe and delicious for consumers, but in practice, the box is the most important advertisement for the product itself.

Packaging has come a long way from the paper bags of the 1800s. True color and brand consistency are just the tip of the iceberg for Carlson Print Group. We have the capability to create and print on a variety of high-end, food-safe boxes, using eight specialty print techniques to match the candy or snack to its perfect consumer. Combined with black and metallics, holographic effects might convey advancement in food innovation or technology, resulting in a connection to a targeted market. Lenticular graphics give an impression of depth and movement, and metallic foils add a knockout element to every color on an image. Coatings and varnishes have a universal appeal in print and packaging. Coatings create a tactile experience, and some can convey specific sensations. Ingredients come from all over the world and bring with them a feast for the senses. Their packaging should too.
 
We don't have to sugar coat our capabilities -- Carlson Print Group can meet all your food-safe box and specialty printing needs. Call or click today to discuss your next sweet project.