POSTED BY: Steve Grunert

Boxerchips – Making Packaging Innovation Fly

7th Jun, 2018

Boxerchips – Making Packaging Innovation Fly

I was on a Ryanair flight recently when after ordering a pack of crisps I was presented with the novel crisp concept of “Boxerchips”. I had encountered this Irish brand many moons ago, when I ordered a pack with my pint of Guinness at Grogan’s Pub. Basically “Boxerchips” are a plastic wrapped cardboard box of delicious handmade crisps. The box transforms into a sharing bowl with a very cool sliding action. Well, after ordering a few packs during the course of the evening I was very impressed with what an attention grabbing pack this really was. I must of had seven or eight people stop to enquire about the pack, showing just how attention grabbing an innovative piece of packaging can be. But as I sat waiting for my flight to arrive in Dublin I pondered as to why such a unique piece of packaging has never quite received the mainstream attention that it truly deserves?

Now I have learnt with a little research that this box of crisps allows airlines to store 40% more crisps on their flights – a very interesting market niche they have found for themselves. But we all eat crisps more often than we fly, right? Unless you’re a pilot or a rockstar I suppose! Anyway, my point is how can Boxerchips tap into the everyday market and make their sales really “take off?”

 

 

 The Opportunity

Well I think they have some great untapped opportunities. A recent trip to Soho, London disclosed a cool piece of crisp innovation. The world’s first crisp restaurant – Hipchips, offering gourmet crisps made from lesser known varieties of potatoes with a variety of unique tastes and colours. They offer these hand fried crisps with a variety of savoury or sweet dips with flavours. Savoury flavours include Katsu Curry, Moroccan Yoghurt and Pickled Onion Cheese Fondue. Hipchips serve sweet dips, too – including Chocolate Salted Caramel, Nutella, and Cheesecake flavours, which will be paired with crisps dusted with cinnamon sugar. I think Boxerchips’ cardboard packaging could accommodate a little dip container and really deliver a truly unique experience to the customer. And the use of some unique multicoloured potato varieties could really push the brand into a higher gourmet spectrum not yet seen on the Irish crisp market.

 

 
I’d also love to see the brand use transparent plastic packaging to their advantage, allowing them to show off one of their main assets – the box and the crisps. I also think the closing lid of the box should be removed to allow the delicious looking crisps to be displayed through the clear packaging. The trend of tactile varnishes which mimic the feel of paper would also work really well on this brand, making it feel more organic and gourmet. I believe they also have opportunities with larger pack format, after all who wants to share 40g of crisps in a sharing bowl, but a 150g version would work great on the couch with a film, right?

At Neworld we love innovative brands and packaging. And if your brand is an innovator in its category it’s important to keep the creative ideas flowing. Contact Neworld to help keep this creativity alive and help your brand sail beyond 30,000 feet and into the stratosphere. Lets get together and put a rocket on it!

 

Steve Grunert, Creative Director.
Steve has a wealth of experience working some of Ireland’s most successful brands such as Flahavan’s, Barry’s Tea, Glenisk, Franciscan Well Brewery, Irish Pride, The Jelly Bean Factory and Aldi Supermarkets to name but a few. His love of all things food has helped him guide clients to the right packaging solutions, helping them to find their own distinct point of difference on shelf. If he’s not slaving away the latest packaging solution he’ll be out the back, firing up the barbeque and feeding the Neworld troops full of gourmet delights!