Specialist Packaging

Christmas Presentation Packaging – Yo Ho Ho!

December 5, 2019

by Toucan Publishing Chocolate box Specialist Packaging

Annual events are massive for us at GWD Ltd as manufacturers of high-quality presentation and promotional packaging. Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter are all huge – but it’s no surprise that Christmas is biggest of all. This year we began manufacturing advent calendars as early as April! As you can imagine our factory is always full of festive boxes and packaging – every day is Christmas Day at GWD

This year we’ve been heavily involved with the wonderful Bettys of Harrogate as they’ve been celebrating their centenary. Over the years we’ve created a lot of their Christmas packaging.

We remain one of the very few firms in the UK who can manufacture these circular or cylindrical boxes in-house, with the help of our very experienced cardboard engineers and bespoke machinery.

The image below shows three Christmas boxes we have made for Bettys this year, two hamper boxes, one square, one round and a flanged chocolate box with a foil blocked window to show the chocolates off to maximum effect:

All three of these have been printed with metallic ink (red and green) and then foil blocked in gold, giving a very luxurious appearance.

This next image shows a selection of chocolate boxes – round, oval and square – made for different independent chocolate shops. We are fortunate enough to work for a substantial number of independent chocolatiers and retailers, from big brands through to small companies. These boxes are finished off with ‘off the shelf’ Christmas giftwrap paper selected by the customer.

confectionary packaging for independent chocolate companies — Confectionary packaging for independent chocolate companies

Many of our client’s retail confectionary directly to the public or wholesale in the hotel or hospitality industry. We are always on the lookout for more, so if you require:

New packaging designed from scratch (either a rigid or folding box)

A rigid box (from our range of over 60 sizes) using pre-cut, off-the-shelf card that can be assembled and wrapped to your specifications

Please do not hesitate to get in touch for a quote!

Oh, and do try not to over-indulge on chocolates over Christmas!!!

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 Luxury Advent Calendar for ‘Lush’

September 27, 2019

by Toucan Publishing Advent Calendar Box Making Christmas Manufacturing Presentation Packaging Specialist Packaging

We realise it’s only September and this might seem a little early to be talking about Advent calendars, but for the brands creating them for the festive season this is probably a bit late in the year!

Advent calendars have evolved and changed over the past decade. Being of a err, certain age, it’s easy to remember the examples we were given back in the 70s and 80s: tiny little things, poorly manufactured with cheap glittery ‘windows’ which always broke off and contained one mysterious lump of cheap chocolate.

Advent calendars are no longer just a gift for children. Nowadays, couples buy each other advent calendars containing miniatures of craft gin, whiskeys and even beauty products! A case in point is this stunning 24 day creation made for the high street brand ‘Lush’

We have worked with Lush on several occasions before as detailed in this blog. Lush, as you may well know are an environmentally friendly company, who invest only in organic produce. They are carbon neutral and against animal testing. They were, not surprisingly, insistent that the packaging for their advent calendar met with their strict environmental policies (which was certainly not an issue with us). This meant that the product was entirely biodegradable and even forbade the use of magnetic closures – a recyclable, UK produced ribbon was sourced and used in their stead.

Please take a look at the video below – shot by Lush at our factory in Harlow, Essex, which shows some of the techniques we used in the construction of the packaging.

GWD Ltd are one of a very few companies in the UK who can carry out this standard of work. This project was in development for several months. Whilst the idea was conceived by Lush, it was GWD who developed it through a number of sampling phases. Taking their design and concept, GWD created a final product that not only looks fabulous, but works in a practical sense too.

One of the objectives was to create a product that could have a additional function too. Once Christmas has passed and all 24 of the gifts have been opened, the customer is left with a beautiful and functional box which can be used to store keepsakes or beauty products. We have touched on this in our blog before, notably ‘Primary and Secondary Packaging Functions’ . The recipient of the advent calendar is unlikely to throw away such a stylish item, particularly as it was constructed so as the internal boxes and dividers could be easily removed, making it simple to re-use.

The fact that the item is hence displayed prominently in the customer’s household for a number of years, is a very subtle form of marketing – a reminder of the brand and the quality of their products.

Only 500 Lush 2019 Advent calendars were created. We’re unsure when they eventually sold out but after being launched online 92 were sold within the first 18minutes!!

Special ‘Centenary’ Packaging for Bettys of Harrogate

August 9, 2019

by Toucan Publishing Presentation Packaging Specialist Packaging

Here at GWD Ltd we’ve had a great relationship with the famous cake makers and chocolatiers, Bettys of Harrogate for many years. Indeed, we have discussed our work with them in this blog on a number of occasions, notably here.

Rather fabulously, 2019 marks the centenary of Betty’s and their website details a fascinating and often dramatic history. To mark this auspicious date the company have had (and are continuing to have) a number of special events including lectures, classes, courses and tastings. They have also decided to release a special centenary teapot and recreate some of their historic packaging – which is where we come in!

The above image shows the final box for the teapot, which externally looks particularly classy with it’s gold foiling. In itself it appears quite a simple construct, the difficulty was internal, as you can see in the image below….

supporting trays in packaging — Supporting trays in packaging

The teapot, made in Stoke-On-Trent, is naturally very fragile, so we needed to create a sturdy internal ‘tray’ or ‘under platform’ with additional elastics to support it in transit. This was relatively complex but we like to boast about the skill and experience of the ‘cardboard engineers’ we have employed here, and for them, a problematic job like this is run of the mill. Thus far more than 500 of these boxes have been created.

commemorative gift boxes for special dates — Commemorative gift boxes for Special Dates

Furthermore, Bettys asked us to produce two other boxes based on originals – some of which can still be seen on display in Betty’s archives.

linen and foil retro packaging — Linen and Foil Retro Packaging

These new boxes were created to replicate the style of some of their earlier, pre WWII, ‘Golden Age’’, packaging, These ‘taster’ boxes created by GWD, were to mimic the originals for the special centenary launch and to be exhibited in their stores. They consist of a ‘cocoa bean’ shaped box and lid (above) and a hinged-lid box, wrapped in a linen paper, a printed fabric and gold braiding (below), both based closely on the originals. I think you’d agree that the replicas above, look incredibly convincing!

The longer box is to be used (in a simpler form) to present a special centenary collection of chocolates which will be available this Christmas on the website and in their retail outlets. We are delighted to have such a strong, constructive and friendly relationship with Betty’s with whom we have worked for many years.

Long may it continue!

GWD, The Emirates FA Cup and Soccer AM

February 8, 2019

by Toucan Publishing Presentation Packaging Specialist Packaging Sport

On Saturday January 5^th Soccer AM, Sky1 and Sky Sports Football, featured presenter John Fendley discussing our presentation packaging on live television!

For licensing reasons we’re unable to show the clip here, but in true Soccer AM style, John and his co-presenters and guests discussed the launch of the new soccer ball for the Emirates FA Cup, complete with packaging designed by GWD Ltd! What was that quote again: ”Lovely box, great bit of design.” Thanks very much, John!

presentation box for Mitre football — Presentation box for Mitre football

So how did we come to be here? Well, you may recall from our blog that in March 2017 we were commissioned by Mercieca Ltd a UK-based integrated agency, who wished us to create presentation packaging for Mitre – who were re-launching their Mitre Delta football, in that instance for the Sky Bet Championship and the Scottish Premier League. This launch was for The Emirates FA Cup (from the third round onwards – which coincides with sides from the top two divisions entering the competition and was held over the weekend of the 4th – 7th of January) for Mitre to promote its partnership with The FA.

presentation packaging for soccer — Presentation packaging for soccer

Mercieca were briefed to come up with an integrated campaign to promote the launch. The packaging was an important part of this activity which culminated with a showcase of the ball on Soccer AM, It was also included in the BBC FA Cup opening titles and across all televised matches and Match of the Day.

highest quality gift boxes UK — Highest quality gift boxes UK

The clever structural design, which we first created two years ago for Mercieca, creates an angled plinth for the ball to rest in that also doubles up as a display plinth. This also creates a closure for the lid, which can be lifted off easily to reveal the ball in all its glory. This construct is ideal for presenting the product in its best possible light, creating a ‘wow’ factor amongst clients and audiences.

GWD created 75 of these boxes for the client. Chris Ward, Creative Services Manager at Mercieca said: “Another good job from you guys, the client is very happy with the boxes, they looked great.”
If you work for a design agency or have a prestige product that would benefit from the highest quality presentation packaging, please get in touch with GWD Ltd via the details below. It is possible to work alongside our designers to come up with a unique box that is perfectly tailored to your product. We are not wholesalers but a manufacturer of presentation and promotional packaging; you are at source when you come to GWD. We design and make the vast majority of our boxes here in the UK, meaning we have no minimum order requirement and total control over lead times.

It’s Hot Out There!

August 22, 2018

by Toucan Publishing Box Making Manufacturing Specialist Packaging

This blog post is being written at the end of July 2018, in the midst of a heat-wave with temperatures at 31C, and set to go even higher! It’s so difficult to recall how cold last winter was in heat like this.

Work, of course continues at pace here at GWD, regardless of the weather, and the design team and cardboard engineers remain extremely busy, including working on this years Christmas products!

Thinking of the heat though we were reminded of a particular piece of packaging that was designed to be kept in a fridge (for a limited time at least)!

We were commissioned by Bio-Rad Laboratories to create a small box to hold 24 small test tubes or vials that would be suitable to be stored in a fridge. Bio-Rad is an international company but we deal with the German office, and in particular with the R + D team, Custom Antibodies, Life Science Group.

It is important to note that cardboard is NOT suitable to be stored in very cold conditions indefinitely but it was suitable for the client’s purposes in this instance, as they were to be used to send samples to their clients and needed to be stored temporarily before they are despatched, kept refrigerated in transportation and then for a short while after arrival.

Specialist packaging for medical companies

As you can see the box has a magnetic closure and is wrapped in laminated paper. This is crucial if the box is to survive in refrigerated conditions.

The two part foam inserts are made from Stratocell, an expanded polyethylene, which acts as an insulator and is suitable for use in refrigerated conditions, and has the added advantage of being recyclable (in a bottle bank). GWD have made these boxes for Bio-Rad Laboratories on at least three occasions – changing the original Velcro closure to a magnetic one after the first run.

We have done a few jobs for companies in the scientific sector and it’s an area where we believe our particular expertise in this kind of packaging has much potential.

If we can help you or your clients with any promotional or presentation packaging requirements, please do get in touch.

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

Bespoke Corporate Packaging for Indian Ocean ™

April 10, 2017

by Simon Thomas Box Making Presentation Packaging Specialist Packaging

Earlier this year we were invited to tender by Indian Ocean – designers and manufacturers of luxury outdoor furniture. Indian Ocean have outlets in Balham and Hampstead and retails through Harrods of Knightsbridge and with distributors worldwide. The company creates innovative products, finished to the highest specifications and focusing on every detail, and as such demands its Distributor Presentation Packs, to be of an equally high status.

Unfortunately GWD Ltd didn’t win the original tender, which was given (on a price basis alone) to a different packaging firm. However, a couple of months after the tender process was completed we were contacted again as the rival company didn’t have the technical expertise to complete the job. A hurried meeting was set up with the customer.

The required presentation pack was a rigid, three-compartment slipcase which incorporated an upright open angled file for brochures as well as two drawers (one above the other), for storing samples, as you can see in the image below:

As the samples are primarily sections of the soft and hardwoods used by Indian Ocean in their furniture, the entire creation needed to be extremely strong and durable. It also needed to be branded and customised to fit its contents. The Distributor Presentation Packs were to be sent to all of the customer’s distributors.

Fortunately, GWD are extremely experienced in the creation of this form of corporate packaging having undertaken many such projects in the past. We are very proud of the knowledge and expertise of our staff and the skills that they bring to cardboard engineering and remain one of a very few companies able to carry out such work.

This is an unusual and highly functional piece of presentation packaging, which we were able to create within the very tight time constraints and within budget. We are happy to take on more of these projects and welcome any enquiries.

Chocolate Boxes Manufactured in the UK!

February 12, 2017

by Simon Thomas Box Making Mothers' Day Specialist Packaging

There are two very big dates coming soon for Chocolatiers: Valentine’s Day, when it is estimated that at least £1.6billion is spent on gifts and treats for the occasion across the UK, and of course, Mother’s Day, which this year falls on March the 26th.

New research shows that the average Brit is set to spend as much as £50 on their Mother this year, up from £27.17 in 2014, with as much as £928 million being spend across the Country. Naturally, a very large proportion of that will be spent of chocolate – which remains British peoples’ second gift of choice for the occasion, behind flowers. That’s a very substantial market.

mother’s day chocolate packaging — Mother’s day chocolate packaging

Many retailers will be (as usual) taking advantage of the increase ‘panic buying’ in the 48 hours up to Valentine’s and Mothers’ Day. If you are a florist or a chocolatier you want your products to be catching the eyes of the buyers – and what better way to do that than with attractive and innovative presentation packaging?

chocolate box makers UK — Chocolate box makers UK

Here at GWD Ltd we have been creating packaging for chocolatiers for almost 30 years, including boxes for big name brands such as Bettys of Harrogate, multiple Academy Of Chocolate and International Chocolate Award winners, Rococo Chocolates, and the Grown Up Chocolate Company. Our blog has detailed previously how we are one of a very few packaging companies in the UK who can create round ‘hat’ boxes , but we also manufacture star-shaped boxes, heart-shaped boxes and indeed pretty much any shape you can think of, including triangular, octagonal and even teardrop-shaped ones.

presentation boxes in unusual shapes — Presentation boxes in unusual shapes

Our cardboard engineers are adept at rising to challenges set by clients and their designers. We can either work from a specific design that you may have in mind, or our on-site design team can work together with you and come up with something entirely new and unique. We are not a wholesaler, we design and make the majority of our boxes here in the UK, meaning there is no minimum order number and we retain total control over lead times.

GWD are also happy to have face-to-face meetings to discuss your requirements and can offer quotes by email or telephone. Manufacturing in the UK means we can also handle short notice arrangements when possible.

Make your chocolates stand out from the competition. You know how good they taste – why not give them the presentation packaging they deserve!

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.

Packaging For Easter Gifts!

March 16, 2016

by Simon Thomas Box Making Easter Manufacturing Presentation Packaging Promotional Packaging Specialist Packaging

Think Easter and you probably think chocolate. Easter is a time of year when some of us take time out of work for (cold and rainy) family holidays and unbelievable chocolate overload. Who hasn’t regretted – at least once – the amount of chocolate eggs mindlessly scoffed over the bank holidays? Ever guilty of taking the leftovers into the office just to get rid? A resounding yes! After all, Easter is the biggest chocolate-selling period of the year following the over indulgence of Christmas…and rather astonishingly, this year Easter eggs went on sale in Tesco and Sainsbury’s (other supermarkets are available) on the FIRST of JANUARY!

But as you roll your eyes, think about how Easter presents itself as a superb marketing opportunity for B2B and B2C! A time to wow your customers and suppliers with beautifully presented and packaged edibles or alternatives to show them how much you appreciate their business and their support.

We Brits simply love chocolate, ranking 4^th in the world just behind the finest chocolate makers in the world, Switzerland, Germany and Austria on consumption per capita. Most of us will eat around 9.5 kg of chocolate per year and at Easter time, we will purchase around 80 million chocolate eggs, generating a consumer spend of a whopping £299m. These eggs-travagant (apologies) sales make up 10 per cent of Britain’s annual spend on chocolate.

Easter egg box - clear square format — Easter egg box – clear square format

But of course, the buzz word is ‘moderation’. Dietitians have already warned us that most children (and us adults) will eat around 5 Easter eggs each as well as the delicious contents, easily doubling the recommended calorie intake resulting in rapid weight gain. And where does that leave today’s consumers who are health conscious, allergic or worse, who suffer from severe reactions to Easter egg ingredients? There’s no reason to leave your corporate clan or family loved ones out of the Easter excitement as our cardboard engineers can create sensationally bespoke and branded confectionary and gift packaging to meet your exact needs.

Easter egg box - clear round format — Easter egg box – clear round format

It’s no secret that plenty of people now give gifts rather than Easter eggs and while it might make traditionalists jump up and down about the true meaning of Easter, an actual non-edible keepsake gift will last longer and be a healthier choice than chocolate.

Sometimes the Easter gifts you choose for us to beautifully package may not be always be egg-shaped, but we are certain they will hatch out better things.

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