Packaging news roundup

Leading tissue brand boxes splashed with artisanal charm and elegance in highly creative packaging makeover

For millions of Canadians feeling haplessly boxed in due to continuing COVID-19-related lockdowns forcing them to stay at home, a new Scotties tissue brand from Kruger Products LP may just be perfect way to spruce up their home decor while waiting for our normal lives to return.

Produced at Kruger’s tissue converting facilities in Gatineau, Que., and New Westminster, B.C., the new Scotties House & Home Designer Series tissues feature the company’s signature Scotties Original Tissues packed in elegant new boxes—as well as in multi-pack bundles of six, nine, 12 or 18 cartons—spruced up with charming new graphics created by one of Canada’s premiere home decorating studios House & Home.

Comprising eight aesthetically striking designs developed by House & Home’s founder and chief designer Linda Reeves, the new collection offers enough choice and mix-and-match variety to decorate virtually every room in the house.

“Our designs reflect the palette and patterns that we feel look fresh and on-trend for the way we decorate today,” says Reeves.

“Each of our designs are sophisticated enough to allow these boxes to leave the bathroom and live in different rooms throughout our homes.”

As Reeves explains, the new varied-color designs include: • Graphic Modern. A graphite background and cream lines present a bold, contemporary accent that will work in the most stylish spaces. • Cross Stitch. Simple yet sophisticated, Cross

Stitch gets its global vibe from its mustard and cream combo—a motif inspired by artisanal crafts. • Country Blue. Enduring and charming, this tissue box will be a favorite for anyone who wants to bring home a hint of country. • Charming. A brocade-like pattern in rosy pink on crisp white, this tissue box is a classic choice for most rooms in the house. • Pin Stripe. A sage-colored background is complemented by clean white pin-stripes to create a versatile design that is crisp and tailored. • Sketch. A leaf motif drawn in fine lines on a white background makes this tissue box clean, refined and elegant. • Water-color. This mod botanical design plays on the beauty of flora and the artistic charm of a painting. • Moody Mauve. Reminiscent of block print tiles, this combo of a calming colour and an intricate pattern feels like modern charm.

“These brilliant designs from House & Home are not your ordinary tissue boxes,” says Kruger Products chief marketing officer Susan Irving.

“As Canada’s Number One tissue, Scotties are soft and strong, and now they’re also more beautiful and stylish than ever.

“You can depend on Scotties both for the tissues you love,” Irving adds, “but also to add design in an instant with tissue boxes perfect for every room in your home.”

Adds Reeves: “I was thrilled to be asked to design a new line of Scotties tissue boxes because they are a staple that we all need throughout our homes.

“They provide a great opportunity to add a pop of color and style to an otherwise blank space,” she says. “They can bring a colorful hue to a plain bookcase, liven up a kitchen back-splash, or bring a hint of unexpected style to a front-hall table.

“Our patterns were created with design-conscious consumers in mind,” Reeves explains.

“The modernist will love the graphic black and the delicate white tissue boxes, while the lovers of color will appreciate the country blue, soft coral, mauve and muted sage greens used in multiple patterns. “All our colors are on-trend for the way we decorate today,” Reeves relates.

“We used our favorite paint brands as reference points and considered the most popular shades our followers love to use on their walls, cabinets and counters, including natural woods that are so popular for built-ins and furniture.”

Rebranded rice is back in the mix in grocery aisles

After ditching is long-enduring but admittedly outdated and out-oftouch brand name, Mars Food Canada has launched its rebranded Ben’s Original instant flavored rice mix in updated packaging featuring a new brand name set against the familiar orange background and the same navy-blue font to help shoppers easily find the bestselling product originally retailed under the now-defunct Uncle Ben’s label.

Being one of several major food brands in recent years to attract criticism and backlash for insensitive racial overtones, the arrival of new Ben’s Original products on Canadian shelves follows on last year’s promise to rebrand the popular product with an ambition to create a more inclusive future, according to Mars, while maintaining firm commitment to producing the world’s best rice.

“Everyone deserves to feel welcomed, heard and have access to nutritious food,” says Mars Food Canada’s marketing director Eric Huston.

“Ben’s Original is not just a packaging change: it comes with a new ambition to actively create a more inclusive future.

“We knew when we pledged to evolve the Uncle Ben’s brand that it meant more than simply changing our name,” Huston states.

“Enhancing equity and inclusion means committing to actions that help deliver true equity to underserved communities across Canada.”

Produced in Bolton, Ont., the Ben’s Original rice mixes are available in 16 different SKUs (stock-keeping units) comprising a varied choice of flavors and cooking methods, with most of them packaged in 240-gram flexible stand-up pouches designed by Mississauga, Ont.-based branding services providers SGK LLC.

Inside the new packaging, “Consumers will continue to find a wide range of simple and tasty rice dishes with flavors and textures that serve as the cornerstone of so many favorite meals that invite people to gather around the table,” according to Mars Food Canada.

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