Hat shaped boxes – 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

Chocolatiers, Christmas and GWD Limited

December 20, 2018

by Toucan Publishing Chocolate box Christmas Hamper boxes Hat shaped boxes

So Christmas is here once again and at GWD Towers we’re busier than a whole Grotto of Santa’s Elves! Some of the Christmas packaging we make for our clients is designed and manufactured by the end of Summer, but because we deal with so many different kinds of businesses we are also at full tilt, right up to the last moment.

Not that this is a ‘Bah Humbug’ type of post, far from it Christmas is, naturally, a hectic time for the packaging industry and we’ve been very busy indeed this year creating hamper boxes, advent calendars and special presentation/gift boxes for products, as well as more generic boxes such as those in the image above. These are more generic products that shops or outlets pack themselves, perhaps adding a ribbon or similar embellishment.

We have mentioned elsewhere in this blog that we are one of the very few companies in the UK that can produce round ‘hat’ boxes, and these are very popular with chocolatiers and hamper companies, particularly for this season. The boxes above are produced for Betty’s of Harrogate, one of the premier chocolatiers and gift food companies in the country. Most years, Betty’s will contact us with new ideas or designs and the packaging will be updated.

Presentation packaging for chocolatiers and chocolate boxes

In the image above are some more boxes made for Betty’s further illustrating what we can do for chocolate companies. The rectangular box (top left) has a gold foil blocked clear window, allowing the chocolates to be viewed in their full glory. This is achieved with the use of a ‘cavity wall tray’, the gold frame, which sits inside the box, which is invisible until it’s opened. The smaller box in the photo is a generic, shouldered box made for Betty’s, that is turned into a Christmas box with the use of a sleeve. This is a great idea for companies who wish to brand their products for particular seasons or events – the box itself remains the same but the sleeve can be redesigned on demand.

We also supply smaller independent shops and outlets with our high-quality rigid boxes. These circular boxes (above), although quite complex to manufacture, can be produced in relatively small runs and are ideal for chocolates! If you would like us to help you present your chocolates (or indeed any other product) in it’s best possible light – please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

And Merry Christmas!!

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!

Hang On To Your Hat!

July 26, 2017

by Simon Thomas Box Making Design Hat shaped boxes Manufacturing Presentation Packaging Promotional Packaging

Over the years we’ve created a number of bespoke packaging solutions for florists and occasionally even milliners. We continue to be one of a very few companies in the UK who have the ability to create circular ‘Hat’ boxes. What we also do, however, which is perhaps slightly less known, is that we create packaging in the shape of headwear as promotional packaging for events or special occasions.

Top hats, such as the ones above created for The Ritz (London), are a firm favourite and give a great sense of panache and style for any promotional event. Normally these would be used for chocolates, but could be for any trinket or smaller product.

We have recently created a number of cardboard ‘boaters’ for The Chocolate Shop in Sevenoaks

who specialize in fondants, truffles and high-end chocolate delights, and while in this instant the company themselves added the lovely touch of adding ribbons and decorations….

…GWD can also offer this finishing service as with the personalised ribbon used on the top hat boxes above. As the top lid is removed one is left with a very stylish example of presentation packaging at it’s finest, with the contents displayed at their very best.

where can I get boxes made? — Where can I get boxes made?

We have been making these mortarboard hats (below) for many years, mainly for a couple of hotels in Oxford to celebrate student graduation season (and to promote themselves too, naturally)…

The small size has always contained chocolates, but on another occasion we were commissioned to make a larger version to house a bottle of champagne, as below.

special boxes for wine and chocolate — Special boxes for wine and chocolate

Boxes in the shape of hats can be a great way to draw attention to a product or reference a particular theme or subject, and as such we’re often asked to make them for a variety of different clientele. Ascot, for example is particularly well known for the glorious array of hats that are on show. We created the jockey cap box – a great equestrian institution – for Royal Ascot back in 2013, as a chocolate box, pictured below. This piece of packaging is ideal for hotels or other outlets in close proximity to racecourses – and indeed racecourses themselves – to use during the season.

amazing packaging solutions — Amazing packaging solutions