Wooden-look containers for storage and product presentation
bekuplast developed a plastic container with a wooden look for Karls for the presentation of goods in farm shops. The special solution combines functionality and a design that matches the brand essence.
Karls, headquartered in Rövershagen, is one of Germany's largest strawberry producers. The fresh strawberries are sold in north-eastern Germany and Berlin via direct sales in the well-known strawberry sales stands and in "Karls' adventure villages". Karls is represented at several locations in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with the "adventure villages". They are a tourist attraction and combine a farm shop, a glass factory, a restaurant and leisure activities.
The challenge - a container for storage and presentation of goods at the point of sale
Between May and September, the strawberries are harvested on Karls' farmland. The fresh berries are immediately frozen for further processing. Karls' famous strawberry jam is made from these berries in "Karls' adventure villages". The jam is cooked in the show kitchens, bottled and sold directly in the farm shop. Until now, a standard plastic container from bekuplast has been used for intermediate storage until sale. Functional, but not an "eye-catcher" for the presentation at the point of sale. The customer's wish was to replace this container. The new solution should reduce the manual handling and reflect the brand character of the company.
The solution - a special container that combines design and function
Karls and bekuplast worked closely together to develop a plastic container that can hold 18 jam jars. The special feature of the container is that it combines the natural look of a wooden container with the functional advantages of a plastic container. The wooden look means that the container fits in perfectly with the Karls brand world.
Wooden design to match the brand world of "Karls' adventure villages"
The plastic surface has a wood-like structure. For the perfect colour, the colour mixture was continuously optimised in the production process. By adding darker material, a harmonious colouring was achieved that mimics the natural look of knotholes and inclusions in wood. The wooden look of the container fits perfectly into the rustic, nostalgic atmosphere of the farm shops. On the long sides, the container was refined with a high-quality, coloured logo print on a raised surface. The slogan has the effect of "branding" on wood.
The advantages of a plastic container, the natural look of wood
Karls deliberately chose a plastic container. Plastic containers are hygienic and easy to clean. They are practical to handle because they can be stacked on top of each other perfectly. The smooth surfaces of the plastic containers make them easier to handle - in contrast to a wooden container, there is no risk of injury from splinters of wood.
Made-to-measure containers
The jam jars are sold as single jars or in cartons as a set of 3. The containers are designed to fit 18 jam jars or alternatively five cartons. The containers have external dimensions of 404 x 299 x 144 mm. They deviate slightly from the Euro dimension, but are still compatible with a standard transport trolley.
More efficient due to less manual handling
In the standard plastic containers used before, the freshly made jams were only stored temporarily and then had to be set up again individually on the sales tables. The new wooden-look containers are not only used for storage, but also for presenting the goods. This has reduced the amount of manual work. The jams are stored in the container on a trolley and refilled directly "box by box" on the sales tables. This saves a lot of manual labour and thus time. At the same time, the jam jars stand safely and cannot fall over.