Flowers – GWD Blog

Flowers, Chocolates and Quality Presentation Packaging

March 20, 2019

by Toucan Publishing Chocolate box Easter Flowers Hat shaped boxes Mothers' Day Presentation Packaging

For good or ill the national obsession with chocolates and flowers continues – particularly at this time of the year.

According to recent figures – In the UK, 10% of all chocolate is consumed in the form of Eggs over Easter, with the country being the fourth largest consumer of chocolate (per head of capita) in the World, behind Switzerland, Germany and Austria. On average, each person in Britain eats approx. 9.5 kg of chocolate each year. When it comes to flowers, according to aboutflowers.com a staggering 26% of ALL flowers are purchased from florists on Mother’s Day, surpassed only by Valentines Day.

Naturally as the UK’s premier manufacturer of presentation packaging this period is extremely important to us here at GWD Ltd . Indeed we have a substantial number of florists and chocolatiers amongst our clients. Here are a few examples of products we have made over the past year.

This heart-shaped box with a window was manufactured here in Essex for flowers, specifically preserved flowers and rose heads. These have a life of 3 years or more and are used as table decorations, centrepieces and other ornamental uses. The packaging therefore, has to be robust as well as stylish.

The two photos above show round hatboxes that were produced for different flower growers/importers: Exprezzion and MM Flowers . They were used in the sale of their flowers at two leading supermarket chains and for their online sales. Hat boxes, with or without lids, are widely recognised as a very up-market way of presenting flowers for that special gift or loved one, and GWD Ltd make them in a range of sizes, from 150mm diameter to 150mm high (and smaller if required) up to 300mm diameter x 300mm high (and bigger if required).

Packaging for chocolates and Easter eggs

The Easter egg boxes in the picture above show two high-end, bespoke, rigid Easter egg boxes (with separate box and lid) that were made for The Secret Truffletier who create handmade champagne truffles, Swiss Chocolates and luxurious dark chocolate truffle gifts. At the other end of the scale the image also shows a small fold-up carton for a much smaller egg. This was personalised for Claridges , the luxury hotel in Mayfair. It is an equally high-end product.

Whatever product your have, you can be assured that GWD can help you with the perfect presentation packaging to help it sell, online or in the shops. We’ve been creating packaging for florists and chocolatiers for over 30 years. Please get in touch.

Noel Greenwood is the Managing Director of GWD Ltd, the designers and manufacturers of presentation and promotional packaging. You can reach him on (01279) 416093 or at the company’s website: www.gwd.ltd.uk

A Royal Wedding and Our Royal Connections

May 12, 2018

by Simon Thomas Box Making Flowers Gloves Royalty Specialist Packaging

You can’t have failed to notice that there’s another Royal wedding in the offing, and we at GWD are very pleased to offer our congratulations to Harry and Meghan in advance of their special day. We have always had something of a connection to royalty, with some of our best clients being holders of the Royal Warrant- a recognition of the consistent excellence of companies which have provided goods or services to the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh or the Prince of Wales for more than five years.

bespoke gift boxes for premier gifts — Bespoke gift boxes for premier gifts

Cornelia James, for example, have held the Warrant since 1979 – nearly forty years. Cornelia James are glovers of distinction, making the gloves that the Queen herself wears, having made their first pair for her when she was still Princess Elizabeth and was marrying Philip. Cornelia James have expressed delight at the wedding, and also the American connection, as they do a lot of business there, although they couldn’t possibly comment as to whether Her Majesty will be getting a new pair for the occasion!

boxes for floral presentations — Boxes for floral presentations

We have also made flower boxes for Taylors of Holbeach, Bulb Growers To Her Majesty The Queen, as well as spoon boxes the cutlery manufacturer, the DJH Group of Consett who supply Buckingham Palace, Windsor and Holyrood, and have just supplied an order for five thousand boxes over the three locations. We have also worked with Prestat, who make chocolate that is literally fit for a Queen.

presentation packaging for spoon sets — Presentation packaging for spoon sets

Our specialty is luxurious presentation packaging, and you don’t need Royal blood to take advantage of our services! Whether you want a single box for a special gift or a bulk order, we have a solution for you. We’ve made boxes for hats, flowers, candles- you name it, we can make a box for it. Corporate and promotional packaging is also no problem. We have been manufacturing excellent presentation packaging for over thirty years, and are experts in our field.

design gift packaging UK — Design gift packaging UK

We are proud to create the majority of our packaging right here in Harlow, Essex, although if volumes require and lead times allow, we also have the option of a Far East manufacturing facility. We have an in-house design team who can create a box from scratch for you, or we can work alongside your designers if you already have a concept in mind. Drawers, magnetic closures, heart-shaped boxes – we can provide them all according to your wishes. As the majority of work is done in-house, we have quicker delivery, time-effective sampling and, perhaps most importantly for those wishing to surprise their loved ones, no minimum order requirement.

And again, congratulations to the happy couple!

Noel Greenwood is the Managing Director of GWD Ltd, the designers and manufacturers of presentation and promotional packaging. You can reach him on (01279) 416 093 or at the company’s website: www.gwd.ltd.uk

A Wedding In Ibiza – Specialist Boxes for a Special Day

October 27, 2017

by Simon Thomas Flowers Hat shaped boxes Presentation Packaging Weddings

We have spoken of weddings many times previously in this blog – we produce specialist boxes for wedding favours for example – however we were pleasantly surprised by a commission we received earlier this year for a special wedding being held on the Balearic island of Ibiza.

GWD Ltd were contacted by Barefoot Luxury Weddings in regards to creating two bespoke boxes for a celebrity wedding which took place this summer. Barefoot are described as: “A wedding planning company of unparalleled standards, experience and expertise.” Their offering is to creating elegant, stylish and unforgettable haute bohème wedding experiences.

There is no company that creates such high-quality presentation packaging in the Balearics so Barefoot approached us in sunny Essex to create the two boxes.

The first (shown above) was a relatively simple build wrapped in a high quality dark brown paper with gold foiled lettering and a matching brown cord handle. It’s overall appearance was incredibly stylish and was designed to carry buttonholes on the day.

The second box was for the bridal bouquet. Naturally in the same material and style, this circular ‘Hat box’ is a GWD speciality – we are one of only a very few companies in the UK who have the technical expertise to produce them.

The boxes were to displayed in a video taken at the event – being loaded into transport then removed with style and the contents dramatically displayed. The design quality of the boxes was obviously set to a very high level.

As you can imagine this is a premium service and nothing, is left to chance! The level of care that Barefoot Luxury Weddings provide was best illustrated by the appearance of a specially commissioned van outside of our factory – there to pick up the boxes and drive them all the way to the Mediterranean to ensure that they didn’t get damaged en route!

Barefoot work both locally and internationally with the finest suppliers in the wedding industry, including the best caterers, cinematographers, florists and highly creative stationers. We were pleased to be considered as suppliers of presentation packaging for this project and look forward to a continued relationship – you never know, we might just get an invite to one of their weddings one day!

Packaging for Florists and Floral Arrangements

January 20, 2017

by Simon Thomas Box Making Easter Flowers Specialist Packaging

Well here we are again, back at work after the Christmas Holidays! Here at GWD

we’re lucky in that the normal New Year dread or malaise doesn’t actually apply – there’s always something fascinating to get our teeth into! This week we’re working on a new heart-shaped hatbox for flowers, see below…

hat boxes for florists — Hat boxes for florists

It’s that time of year again when a lot of our work relates to Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter – all of which are fast approaching. Chocolates, of course, are a very popular gift and we make a great deal of packaging for confectionery at this time of year. However, it’s presentation packaging for florists that pre-occupies GWD at present.

hat boxes for floral arrangements — Hat boxes for floral arrangements

Our Blog has spoken previously about round, ‘hat’ boxes and how GWD is one of a very few companies in the UK with the ability to create them. Circular boxes (above) are perfect for floral displays and show off the beauty of any arrangement to great effect.

Where can I find packaging for my flowers?

Above is an example of a hatbox created for roses for a small independent florist in Scotland, demonstrating that you don’t have to have multiple outlets to have great packaging. The matt black wrapping and foil blocked-in gold gives a fantastic, upmarket feel to the floral arrangement within. Valentine’s and Mother’s Days are occasions when customers are prepared to pay a little more for gifts to express their regards and affection to their loved ones, so many florists will invest in special presentation packaging for the occasion, such as the stunning boxes (below) that we created for Royal Queen Roses, another independent florist, this time in Cyprus! The fact that the cost of shipping these boxes to Cyprus is not inconsiderable indicates that our services are not only rare in the UK, but in Europe also.

Of course we don’t just provide circular or heart-shaped boxes for florists – if you are looking for a more traditional square or rectangular box we can provide those too (see below). So if you are a florist (or indeed a chocolatier) and would like to make your flowers stand out for the special dates to come, why not give us a call? We have over thirty years experience in the presentation packaging industry and are considered leaders in the field.