by Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com) As everyone heads off with holiday fever, here are three of the best ideas we discovered on Shelf Life this year. We’ll be looking for more inspiring concepts in 2016!
- Best design — in a crowded category, this product stands out from the rest with great storytelling.
- Best concept — taking the everyday need to eat and constantly repackaging it as a gift gets this our vote.
- Best success — the result of great collaboration and innovation, this product is making massive inroads in the wine industry, has made the cover of WineLand Magazine this December, and is definitely our best success of 2015
Best design: Seldon Water by Utopia
Seldon Water is a pioneering water-filtration company with a vision to clean Africa’s drinking water with its novel Nanomesh technology. Utopia was briefed to conceptualise the packaging for Seldon’s home-water filtration solution, WaterTap, in conjunction with the brand’s recent Zimbabwe launch.
The bottles are meant to be an engaging representation of the brand to accompany its more utilitarian products and, by creating a series, Utopia gives consumers a reason to buy more than one. The clean, elegant design speaks to the sophistication of Seldon’s Nanomesh technology, but it’s the copywriting that really captures the imagination.
Best concept: eat.art by Kalk Bay Foods
Constant innovation is the key to success according to eat.art’s Shelley Barnard, who says the Kalk Bay Foods company sources new products year-round and creates complete new ranges annually. The company is operated by a team of talented foodies, spearheaded by Barnard.
Kalk Bay Foods began sourcing, packaging and exporting fine food gifting products in 2003 and, by 2009, had begun collaborating with creatives at Cape Town-based design agency, Give & Give. They Give created the branding for the company’s offering of on-trend food gifting solutions, and eat.art was born: “Living Food” is the idea that continues to support each new addition to the eat.art ranges.
The products are hand-packed by a team of skilled local women and are sold in high-end retailers both locally and abroad, including Williams Sonoma of the US, Globus of Switzerland, and Woolworths in South Africa.
Best success: Helix cork by Amorim Cork and O-I
Helix is a new packaging solution, pioneered globally by the world’s largest cork producer and distributor, Amorim Cork and O-I glass manufacturers, which combines modern convenience with the romanticism associated with uncorking wine. Wine specialist company Vinimark is the first South African company to embrace the new closure and has bottled its Krone Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2015 under a foil-wrapped HELIX top.
The concept combines an ergonomically designed stopper made from cork and a glass bottle with an internal thread finish in the neck, creating a high performing and sophisticated wine-packaging solution. It has the benefits of both cork and glass — quality, sustainability and premium image with user-friendly, resealable convenience — and is the result of a four-year partnership between Amorim and O-I.
According to Amorim, testing showed wine packaged in Helix glass bottles with cork stoppers has shown no alteration in terms of taste, aroma or colour. In addition, consumers also appreciate retaining the festive ‘pop’ associated with opening a bottle of wine.
Shelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering all things new. Notify us of yours at shelflife at marklives dot com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.
Cheryl Hunter (@cherylhunter) has written for the South African media, marketing and advertising industries for more than 15 years. A former editor of M&M in Independent Newspapers and contributor to Bizcommunity, AdFocus, AdReview and the Ad Annual, she has also produced for various television networks and currently consults on communication strategy and media liaison.
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