The brief

Before we explore the solution, let’s consider the brief. An impactful, visually-appealing design – that would promote the premium, modern and creative aspects of the company – was key. The packaging product itself needed to be robust and easy to open and use. It also had to offer optimal protection of the contents so that sweet-toothed consumers could enjoy their gourmet goodies for months after purchase.

Further, the packaging solution had to support Candy Kittens’ sustainability ethos. The company produces sweets free from ingredients that are harmful to the planet (e.g. gelatine and palm oil). And its packaging would need to do its bit to keep the company’s carbon footprint neutral too.

The packaging solution

The solution that we came up with – the 153mm lever lid ‘Candy Can’ – ticked all the boxes.

First up, there’s the innovation element. Where you’d usually expect to find teal paint in a metal tin of that colour, this can is packed with 1.5kg of Candy Kittens’ signature jelly kitten sweets.

But the Candy Can delivers a lot more than creativity. Designed to provide long-term protection of its contents and ease-of-use, the seal is effective yet simple to open and close. The tin itself is robust so it retains its attractive shape no matter how many times it gets knocked off the shelf by accident.

As for the luxury design element, again Candy Can delivers. Both the tin itself and the perfectly colour matched, digitally printed labels – machine applied on-site at William Say – are of the highest quality. Featuring a teal block background and bold, modern typography, the stylish label integrates seamlessly with Candy Kittens’ existing range.

Embossed messaging on the lid – proclaiming the company’s mantra: ‘Sweets, but make it gourmet’ – further reinforces the premium quality of the sweets. To complete its high-end feel, William Say added metal handles created from tinplate which were rivetted to the can following labelling. (P. Wilkinson Containers is the only UK supplier that can both create and rivet metal handles to lever lid tins.).

As regards its environmental qualities, since metal is forever recyclable, it was the perfect packaging material for a company that’s committed to saving the planet. Since even the handle is made of metal, the pack is 100 per cent recyclable. Impressive!

The tins were manufactured using solar power generated from the rooftop solar farm – one of the largest in central London – at the P. Wilkinson Container and William Say factory in Bermondsey. This green energy aspect, the fact that it’s produced locally in London (vs. China), and the sustainable credentials of metal all combine help Candy Kitten remain carbon neutral.

To promote its green credentials to consumers, the bottom of the can features William Say’s trademark emboss – ‘Please recycle me. Tin can made using solar power in London, England’ – and the Metal Recycles Forever symbol.

As we have seen, the Candy Can delivers on all of Candy Kittens’ criteria in terms of design, branding, function and sustainability. But there is one more element that attracted this entrepreneurial business to us. Managing the entire packaging supply chain on its behalf – with the tins being produced by William Say, and the labels being printed and applied on-site and then shipped straight to the fulfilment centre – we were able to add valuable time and cost benefits to the order too.

What’s next?

Sounds good, right? But you don’t have to take our word for it. Available in supermarkets nationwide and from the Candy Kittens’ website, it couldn’t be easier to sample the delights of the Candy Can for yourself.

If you’d like to explore PWC’s world of sustainable metal packaging – produced on-site with solar power, expertise, passion and state-of-the-art technology – please get in touch on +44 (0)20 7237 4500 or at sales@pwcon.co.uk today! Our team of experts is hoping to hear from you soon…

Designed for both chocolate and whisky connoisseurs and as an ideal gift, Stuart was looking for a packaging option that oozed luxury.

P Wilkinson Containers’s account manager, Louisa, managed the project. William Say & Co producted a 74mm x 26 mm seamless tin base and a bespoke embossed lid. Stuart opted to emboss the ‘Chocisky’ logo on each tin lid.

This tin was manufactured at the London factory, William Say & Co. Ltd. www.wsay.co.uk

The team created a bespoke tooling using artwork supplied by the client and also managed to create a full-size sample, pressed by hand from the production tool, ahead of the full run which was presented to the Chocisky team.  With the backing of the whole team, an initial run of 10,000 products was commissioned.

We created a bespoke tin for the Sweet People from our slip lid range. The final product is a 153mm slip lid tin with embossed detail on both the body and lid, manufactured here in the UK at our William Say factory. The embossing is designed to surround the label, which together create a particularly attractive result. It was also very important for this client to include a debossed message on bottom of the tin, highlighting their brand ethics and sustainability credentials.

The Sweet People manufacturing run needs an extra process added to production due to extra ribbing on the base of the tin, and a large amount of bespoke tooling thanks to the detailed body and lid embossing. The creation of that tooling needed a clear design, communication, and approval strategy in place, and we were delighted to be able to provide this for Sweet People.

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The Cutter & Squidge tins have a satin varnish to finish, and the plain tinplate lids all have the Cutter & Squidge logo embossed into them.