I'm a chocolate lover and am a great admirer of Recchiuti's highly acclaimed chocolates. The packaging is also beautiful - crossing the threshold between classic and modern. I get their email updates every week and was pleased to see their newest collections - updated packaging for their 'favorites' collection and a new line of dragée packaging.
Many thanks to Dave Braden of The Engine Room (in San Francisco) who sent me some images from the latest photoshoot featuring their designs. (Photography by Tom Seawell.)
Continue for more images and close-ups, plus some back-story on these designs.
Recchiuti Dragée Packaging Line:
This packaging system was all about developing an elegant, on-brand, yet super cost-effective system for a potentially large product line. Dragée are panned confections (panning is the process of coating nuts, fruit, nougat, etc. with chocolate or sugar).
Reducing Cost Through Smart Printing:
A single master container was created to work for all products, and was printed as a two-color job with metallic silver and emboss scheme. The unit cost was very low because print run was a high quantity - enough for all six products. Six SKUs launched the new system, and are differentiated via a two-color label printed on metalized stock. Recchiuti can then nimbly introduce new flavors by producing just a new label for that product. If a product doesn't sell well, they're only out on the cost of the sticker labels in terms of packaging. This prevents waste from unused boxes getting thrown out in the event that a flavor is discontinued.
The Big Idea:
As part of the big idea, Recchiuti wanted to launch a more accessible (yet still sophisticated) product line heading into this period of economic uncertainty. Most of their hand-made truffles and pralines are more expensive, so this line gives even bootstrapped consumers the opportunity to try Recchiuti's high-quality confections within their budget.
Recchiuti 'Favorites' Packaging Line:
This collection features some of Recchiuti's cult favorites. The design features three-letter acronyms for each product (KLA for Key Lime Apples, FSC for Fleur de Sel Caramels, etc.) The acronyms were a way to cater to the in-the-know desire for customers in this space, and create that feeling of being so close to a product they can begin speaking about it in shorthand or colloquialism. The freehand writing looks like fragments of a personal recipe diary, reinforcing Michael Recchiuti's expert hand in everything the company makes. The Engine Room wove a much-desired modern/fine art aesthetic into the packaging, while still reserving a side panel for the recognizable Recchiuti branding.
