How A Chocolatier Found Their Packaging Sweet Spot

At PeriWrap, we work with clients from a diverse range of industries to develop custom packaging that fits each business’ unique needs. In the following case study, we share how we helped a chocolatier sweeten customers’ days with creative, sustainable packaging. 

Chocolate is one of those products that many shippers take a gamble with. Because it is shelf safe, the need for suitable cold chain packaging is often overlooked. As a result, many chocolate shippers use solutions that are neither sustainable nor effective. However, transit conditions are unpredictable. Even in colder months, a package could get lost or delayed, and transit times could double. As a chocolatier shipping wholesale or direct-to-consumer, you don’t want to play roulette every time you ship.  

When we started working with a high-end chocolatier years ago, he was shipping his product with bubble foil. Like Styrofoam, bubble foil is not eco-friendly. It's also ineffective at keeping items cold – even achieving a 24-hour transit time with bubble foil is a stretch. This client needed a more sustainable solution that would also extend his transit times and keep packages safe.  

We introduced this chocolatier to sustainable refrigerants. Our refrigerants keep packages cold without the need for dry ice or Styrofoam coolers. They also help extend the environmental message because they can be safely poured down household drains or diluted with water and used as a natural plant fertilizer. After making the switch to these refrigerants, this chocolatier started advertising that his packaging is plantable, which his customers loved.  

Before working with us, this chocolatier also charged his customers extra in the summer for foam coolers. As we’ve discussed in previous case studies, foam coolers take up a lot of space and are not recyclable, which is a turn off to environmentally conscious customers. Further, EPS foam panel box liners require additional labor time for assembly along with the challenge of stocking many different components.  

By using our sustainable solution in combination with parcel insurance, this chocolatier could ship safely to customers year-round. Our parcel insurance option allows customers to choose insurance at approximately half the cost of a foam cooler, and it completely covers customers while removing the liability from shippers. 

Sustainable packaging and parcel insurance are two easy but effective ways that this chocolatier has been able to delight his customers while increasing the safety of his shipments. If you’re ready to find your packaging sweet spot, reach out for a consultation to get started.