Creating value through packaging is becoming an increasingly central part of fresh produce strategy. So when Costa Group wanted its Autumn Crisp™ grapes to stand out on crowded retail shelves, it turned to Gilad Sadan of Packaging Hippie to deliver a solution that could signal quality at a glance.
"The original brief was to be able to come up with a piece of packaging that presents a point of difference on the shelf from what else is out there," Sadan says. With Autumn Crisp™ positioned as a premium seedless white grape, the challenge was to communicate that higher tier clearly. "The price points are really different, the size of the fruit is different, the flavour profiles — and really packaging became the most effective way to tell that story."
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The result was a paper bag paired with a woven mesh window — a format that deliberately broke from the standard plastic pouch. "We were able to find a fully recyclable paper bag as well as that woven netted mesh that is on the front," he explains. Crucially, the mesh wasn't just aesthetic. "One of the major considerations" was visibility. "When you are selling a more premium product, being able to see that it's all of a great quality is even more important."
That transparency speaks to a broader shift in consumer behaviour. "Consumers are a lot more astute these days. They're not just falling for a better piece of packaging and the same quality fruit," Sadan says. Instead, there is a growing expectation that packaging, product and price align. "They're willing to pay more, but for something that is genuinely better."
This has fed into the emergence of a clearer retail hierarchy. "There is a better tiered shelf these days. There's a better structured tier from a good-better-best offering," he says. Packaging plays a central role in signalling those tiers quickly, especially in a category where shoppers make fast decisions. "If you want to jump into the shopping cart, you have to really do something that stands out."
Sustainability, while still important, is no longer the primary differentiator it once was. "Sustainability is not ranked as highly on consumers' agenda as it was five years ago," Sadan says. "There's a certain built-in expectation now that products are sustainable." He likens it to a baseline feature: "It's kind of like a seatbelt. It's not something you boast about."
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Instead, attention has shifted to visual impact. "The attention these days is on visual appearance: colour blocking or colour contrast or vibrant designs." In response, the Autumn Crisp™ packaging evolved. "We took the same format and dressed it up with a much more attractive design, with a very strong vibrant orange colour." The outcome was very well received.
Material choice still comes with trade-offs. Paper carries cost and durability challenges, particularly with its vulnerability to humid conditions. "The plastic bag is really the sturdiest product," Sadan notes, but its recyclability limitations have pushed innovation elsewhere. Advances in material science have helped close the gap, allowing paper-based formats to perform while delivering the desired aesthetic and environmental credentials.
Looking ahead, Sadan sees further opportunity in refining category segmentation. "The biggest thing moving forward is the continued strategy towards the tiering of the shelves," he says. His focus remains on premiumisation. "I specialise in the better and best sort of tiers and how that looks on shelf."
That approach is already extending beyond grapes into apples, cherries, citrus and avocados: categories where differentiation is increasingly driven not just by the fruit itself, but by how it is presented.
For more information:
Gilad Sadan
The Packaging Hippie
Tel: +61 416 526 536
[email protected]
www.navicoglobal.com
