Mordens’ goes nuts for tactile folding carton

Mordens’ of Winnipeg Candy Manufacturing Ltd., a Canadian chocolatier and nut purveyor, is celebrating its 55th anniversary this year—and a plastic folding carton from think4D is part of the celebration.

The Mordens’ of Winnipeg Deluxe Mixed Nuts carton, made from amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET), is flexographically printed with photo-realistic images of the nuts inside the box and then topped with a UV coating. The front, back and top panels are further enhanced with think4D’s tactile treatment.

Each nut in the image is thermoformed in register with its high-definition print representation, and to a realistic height; cashews stand out more than almonds, for example. The nuts appear to be “popping out of that box,” says Fred Morden, the company’s president.

The company soft launched its think4D package earlier this year and is planning a hard launch for the 2014 winter holiday/sports season. Each box contains 454 grams of hand-packed nuts in a heat-sealed film pouch.

With the new package, the goal was to “make a box that you can leave on a coffee table or an office table as opposed to pouring the nuts into a bowl,” Morden says.“Then [we] can actually showcase the nuts and the box itself, and the brand.”

The innovative aspect of think4D’s technology also caught his attention. “We always try to be one step ahead of our competitors,” Morden says, adding that his company is “one of the first in North America to jump on this new technology.”

Local sourcing is also a plus. The think4D plant is located just south of Mordens’ home town of Winnipeg.

The cost differential for the new package is minimal, and consumers will see no upcharge. The cost of the think4D package vs the previous package—a plastic tub with a lid and two labels—is “very, very competitive,” Morden says.

He adds, “When you’re talking…a few pennies more, and you’ve got this beautiful package, it was a no-brainer” to make the switch.