Redesign Plantation chocolate's existing packaging

I was afforded the opportunity to work with a local Swedish chocolate company for a one week packaging redesign and branding. The deliverables for the project were:

• a giftbox – where some of the chocolate products can be combined

• the closure of today’s chocolate bars (today they get ripped when opened and can’t be reclosed...) 

Plantation Chocolate is a chocolate producing company with a focus on providing the highest quality chocolate possible. In the pursuit of this goal the company has developed strong relationships with local Ecuadorian farmers. While the company's focus is producing chocolate, a very large part of the company's mission is to improve the way in which the cocoa trade operates. 

To them this begins and ends with how the cocoa beans are grown and produced. There is a sense of responsibility to the way the product is produced that is often lacking in this industry. The chocolate they produce is also deeply rooted to their local. Nearly half of the chocolate that is produced by them contains some sort of local ingredient.

Bean to bar

What separates Plantations Chocolate from other chocolate producers is that they are dedicated to the bean to bar process. Bean to bar references chocolate producers that are involved in the entire process from farming to creating bars of chocolate rather than merely melting and mixing chocolate produced in another factory. Plantations works directly with cocoa farmers and teaches them fermenting techniques that drastically improve the beans before they are even sold to chocolate producers.

Local Ingredients

In order to better make this chocolate Swedish and connected to the location of production there is a conscious effort to infuse this Ecuadorian chocolate with Swedish tradition. Through oral history and experience local edible plants are mixed into the chocolate. An example of this process is the use of Kvanne, or Angelica. One thing being lost today in Swedish society is the knowledge of edible plants like Kvanne. In an effort to rekindle this knowledge Plantations includes this ingredient in their chocolate, though it helps that it adds a great flavor. This aspect of the company is very positive and should be highlighted in any packaging redesign. 

Factory tour

In order to gain a better understanding of what truly represents Plantations Chocolate our class was able to visit the factory in which all the chocolate for the company is produced. The first thing that stands out is how small and local the company is. With only a hand full of staff the operation is very small and the amount of passion for chocolate is palpable. This dedication to producing chocolate locally and often times with local ingredients feeds strongly into the brand's identity. 

Sustainability

After having a meeting with the owner, Jenny Berg, it was made very clear that the mission of having a positive impact on the chocolate industry would be achieved through education and a sustainable approach to farming. The relationship with the local farms allows the customers to be assured that the chocolate is sustainable, high quality and responsible.

INCORPORATE LOCAL ARTIST

As a way to strengthen the connection between the chocolate and the local in which it was produced, a local artists' work could be used. Landscape paintings would be ideal as it would imbue the chocolate with a sense of heritage and authenticity. The existing packaging utilizes the artwork of a painter from Ecuador and this packaging is beloved by the current consumer. By having another painting inspired design would help with the continuity of the brand's image. It would represent a design evolution rather than a departure.

SEED PAPER PACKAGING

Due to the fact that the packaging designed would be entirely compostable, an opportunity arises. I chose to use this fact to further connect the product to the mission of the company. Plantations Chocolate has made their educational relationship with cocoa farming fairly central to their brand's image. Playing on this and the company's frequent use of local plants I thought to myself, "Why can't we bring this aid and education to the local residents, consumers, and amateur farmer?". By using seed paper with local plants used like Kvanne, the user is able to grow their own home gardens or just beautify their surroundings with a little guerrilla gardening. All of this made possible by the fact that the packaging is entirely compostable.  

COMPOSTABLE PACKAGING

The existing packaging had a beautiful exterior, but right when the consumer opened the chocolate bar they are confronted with a shiny plastic wrapper. After reading about how the company cares so much about sustainability and responsibility on the package, there is a bit of disconnect between the product and packaging with the wrapper. Instead it would be much more impactful if the packaging was as beneficial as the chocolate itself. Using a compostable plastic like NaturFlex, the same packaging efficiency could occur and truly provide a more enjoyable chocolate eating experience. The fact that the packaging would be entirely compostable would be indicated in the product description as well as a "please compost" logo.

Ingredient specific packaging

On the chocolate bars that have specific or specialty ingredients I decided to highlight this by utilizing scientific illustrations of the ingredients in the packaging design. By doing this the consumer can easily identify what the chocolate bar contains.