Quality Meals - Korsnäs

Quality Meals identified an unfilled market niche – family-size frozen quiches. Thanks to close cooperative efforts by Idéhuset and Korsnäs, Quality Meals now has a packaging solution that makes their product jump out at consumers. Sales have shot up over 400% in six months. An appetising, smart design made of Korsnäs White is one of the secrets of their success.

Initially, Quality Meals used a case they bought from a paper wholesaler. But there were problems: the cartonboard was too thin, it was difficult to seal during packing and it was too large. As a result, the quiches tended to crack if handled roughly in grocery freezers. Quality Meals asked Stockholm’s Idéhuset design agency to carry out a thorough review of the packaging. Step one was to “go shopping”. Idéhuset’s Bengt Bussler wanted to see how the packaging stacked up against the competition. The conclusion was inescapable. It was too anonymous and did not communicate the product contents unless the consumer was willing to make an extra effort. Not only that, it didn’t protect the quiches well enough, leading to unnecessary returns from the shops.

Cover more important than contents?!
“Many producers focus on making the best product they can, but view packaging as essentially an extra cost,” says Bengt Bussler. He urges them to look at it from the other side. “Packaging is central to building a brand. Most importantly, it has to be attractive and communicate the contents clearly, leading to a decision to buy on the part of the customer. It should also be functional and convenient. Finally, the product must be of high quality; this is axiomatic. If you meet all the criteria, you win the confidence of the customer.”

Korsnäs helped with design
Bengt Bussler was already familiar with many of Korsnäs’ board grades, and he turned to Korsnäs’ Packaging Performance Service for help. “Nobody knows their material better than Korsnäs, and we were able to develop the kinds of solutions we were hoping for,” he says. “Thanks to our partnership, we ended up with a professional technical solution that protects the product, seals effectively during packing and shows off the product through a window. We are especially satisfied with the excellent printing results we achieved by choosing Korsnäs White. One interesting result is that the effective closure Korsnäs designed combined with the stability of the material have cut packing time by fully 60%. We also designed a secure, functional tamper-proof closure. Nobody can open the pack without breaking the seal. Both the shops and the consumers can feel secure.

“Korsnäs White provides exactly the properties we need to deal with a distribution chain full of humid and frozen environments,” Bengt continues. “The material also assures good printing results – essential for a pack that doubles as a seller – at the same time that it is stable, stiff and protects the product. With Korsnäs White, our customer is playing it safe and eliminating expensive returns.”

“With the help of strong design and a new packaging solution, we positioned ourselves correctly,” says Quality Meals Managing Director Micael Östlund. “Our quiches have moved from the “occasional” order range into the mainstream range of Sweden’s leading grocery chain.”

Packaging Performance Service is the collective name of the packaging development services that Korsnäs provides. These services focus on three primary areas: maximum packaging exposure, user-friendly packaging and packaging optimisation.