OCHIL Fudge’s MD has hailed the ‘absolute genius’ of a local designer who revamped the Alloa-based confectionary brand’s packaging.
Founded in 2010, Ochil Fudge has won 15 Great Taste Awards for its range of delicious fudge. The firm’s products are stocked in tourist attractions, farm shops, delis, and independent stores across the UK, while the company is also a supplier to a number of hotels and distilleries in Scotland.
Originally using a clear flow wrap to showcase the different textures that comes from the handmade creation of the fudge, MD Graeme Clark told Packaging Scotland how this left little room for its story to be told. “If you use a (black and branded) flow wrap like that of a Mars Bar, what’s inside?” he said. “Everybody knows what a Mars Bar looks like, but how can you convince people that it’s a handmade confectionary item if they can’t see it?”
Realising that the brand was perhaps underselling itself by not telling the story of its humble beginnings and taking advantage of the general association that Scottish producers have with quality, Ochil Fudge turned to local designer Alison Harkins to create a solution which both told a story and also showcased the textures of the product.
“People are visiting tourist attractions, stores, and hospitality venues, and they want something that’s reflective of the country they are visiting. Because they’re in Scotland, that would be something tartan – and we had nothing remotely Scottish in our branding!”
Graeme explained that the business had previously been more concerned with displaying the product and trying to avoid appearing as just another generic offering trying to profit off the back of Scotland’s association with quality produce.
Alison’s solution was to create 29 bespoke tartans which relate to each flavour of fudge. She also designed a tear in the label to allow for the textures to be seen and give the general packaging a rustic feel.
“It’s our favourite part of the whole design,” Graeme replied, when asked about the torn effect. “Alison got the mix really right – we’re branded better on the label, but you’ve got that little teaser and wee look at the corner where you can see the product. I think we should think about it on other aspects of packaging that we’re going to develop.”
Alison was initially writing brand guidelines for Ochil Fudge before being asked if she’d like to design the new packaging. Rather than being sent a brief, she sent over a questionnaire to build up an understanding of what type of design the brand wanted.
“I was a bit scared about going: ‘here’s our product and here’s how I want it to look’ because what’s the point in that? Alison is the designer; she’s the creative one – and letting her be creative was really important,” Graeme added. “We look Scottish without going overly Scottish. We know the product is good, but consumers start with their eyes, and everybody likes a little backstory so we needed to improve our packaging.”
BLP brought Alison’s design to life, with the packaging firm also aiding in the creation of new gift boxes set to launch this year. Ochil Fudge has invested in new machinery to allow for the creation of personalised sleeves for the gift boxes, which will also enable special boxes to launch for events like Mother’s and Father’s Days, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day.
Data on the impact of the new packaging will be tracked thanks to a long-running relationship with the University of Stirling. Ochil Fudge had two students undertake a data project over the summer, with four more from the data school set to be brought on board.
A big believer in always looking to learn, Graeme said there is a great benefit to working with students and entrusting their knowledge. A recent success of this was shown in the creation of a new process which lessened the workload of the Ochil Fudge team during the hectic festive period. Moving forward, the brand intends to continue building on its relationship with leading distilleries such as Glenturret and increasing the amount of tourist and hospitality venues the products feature in.
