The COVID-19 pandemic upended daily living, but never once did it dampen our need to connect with loved ones. So when date nights and birthdays could no longer take place in bars or restaurants, consumers began to recreate these celebrations safely at home. It’s no wonder that a wide variety of specialty food and beverage kits began to pop up online!
Rigid boxes—made of strong paperboard overlaid with embellished paper, leather, or fabric wraps—became a go-to packaging choice for brands that wanted to add a sense of elegance and charm to their in-home cocktail, charcuterie, and meal kits.
As part of its trend-spotting initiatives, the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) is highlighting two such rigid designs manufactured by its member company, Burt Rigid Box of Oneonta, NY.
A Night Out, At Home:
Don-on-the-Run Premium Cocktail Kit
As bars and restaurants closed, Burt Rigid Box worked with two brands to deliver a fun cocktail bar experience, wrapped up in elegant rigid packaging, directly to consumers’ homes.
The Don-on-the-Run cocktail kit, that was designed and developed with The Spearhead Group and Don Julio’s brand group, includes both Don Julio Blanco tequila and Cheeky Margarita Mix, the perfect fixings to make margaritas for two. An informational card offers step-by-step instructions and a QR code linking to a video tutorial created by Cheeky, elevating the in-home experience and turning anyone into a professional bartender.
After the consumer removes the Don Julio-branded bellyband, the simple clamshell design opens into a display case that highlights the bottles inside. Laura Brodie, President of Burt Rigid Box, says, “Rigid packaging enables us to display these bottles both in a compelling fashion and in a protective manner. The functional detail of the hinged clamshell created a seamless opening experience, and the use of 80 pt. board for the die cut tray is a sustainable option to secure the bottles. With all board wrapped in beautifully printed Don Julio paper, this box truly creates the ultimate cocktail experience.”
Exciting Innovation:
Delallo Rigid Charcuterie Board
Would you believe that this cutting board isn’t made from wood? That’s right, Burt manufactured it with the thick paperboard used for rigid boxes. Designed and developed in collaboration with Veritiv for Delallo, this unique cutting board is both a conversation piece and a functional element of a gourmet take-home charcuterie basket. The single-piece board is lined with wood grained paper that looks remarkably similar to the real thing. Brodie adds, “This isn’t only an aesthetic piece. By laminating the paper in 1.2 mil PET, a grease-resistant film, customers can actually use it as a cutting board to prepare their savory meal. Finishing the board with a blind emboss truly completes the wood carved look.”
This piece clearly shows how the structural and sculptural capabilities of rigid board can go way beyond the basic box, highlighting just how innovative a packaging medium it can be. Ultimately, the end result provides a charming and functional cutting board “experience” at a fraction of the cost of actual wood.
Even in pre-COVID times, rigid boxes offered memorable experiences for consumers along with excellent branding opportunities. Now, living amidst the pandemic, the rigid box industry has continued to deliver a solution for brands who are eager to safely market their products in a beautiful and functional way. Rigid boxes have provided a sense of comfort to consumers, safely giving people a taste of “normal” life during an unpredictable time. Rigid boxes have, indeed, saved date night during the pandemic! To see more exciting rigid box and paperboard designs, check-out PPC’s annual North American Paperboard Packaging Competition.