Smith & Sinclair is known for their alcoholic cocktail gummies. What began as a successful luxury product now needed to be translated into an accessible impulse purchase. How do you tackle that? That’s where the Pouch Factory came in.
“We are now attracting a new audience”
Smith & Sinclair is known for their alcoholic cocktail gummies. What began as a successful luxury product now needed to be translated into an accessible impulse purchase. How do you tackle that? That’s where the Pouch Factory came in.
Léontine Wegewijs, Managing Director at Smith & Sinclair, says, “Initially, we started with deluxe boxes – each filled with 10 individually wrapped gummies. Because there were 4 to 5 flavors per box, we had more than 28 different cocktail gummies, each wrapped in their own foil. With as many as 13 to 14 different varieties, we benefited little from economies of scale and production was expensive. They were also difficult to ship.” The selling price of the boxes was around €19-€20. Léontine: “In this price range, you don’t just take the gummies for a movie night. We wanted to change that: we wanted to move toward an impulse purchase and more moments of consumption. A product that is affordable, but still feels premium.”
Léontine was looking for an alternative and came across Pouch Factory via Google. “To reduce costs, we wanted to get rid of individually packaged. However, the gummies had to stay fresh. A resealable, airtight package was crucial. A pouch proved perfect for this: it is easily resealable and heat-sealable for a ‘first use guarantee.'” What would these new packages from Smith & Sinclair look like? “The Pouch Factory sent us good samples and then gave clear advice on material, sealing and details such as adding a scissors on the pouch. That way customers know they can easily open the pouch. Although we had a clear design in mind, it was nice that they thought along with us at the production level.”
What Léontine immediately noticed was that the design of the pouch was almost identical to that of the box. “We wanted a literal translation and the Pouch Factory helped make that possible. Think metallic finish and recognizable colors. Even the slogan ‘Eat your drink’ in a metallic finish remained.” How would the current and new target group react to the pouches? Léontine: “That is of course testing. It was therefore very pleasant that we could start with modest volumes at the Pouch Factory. We chose the most popular flavor of each drink. For example, from vodka the Pornstar Martini and from whiskey the Whisky Sour. When we presented the pouches at the confectionery fair, we immediately received positive reactions. The packaging still looks premium, but is on sale at half the price.”
The switch has not only created a new target group, but also a considerable increase in sustainability. Léontine: “The original pouches contained a lot of air, which was inefficient in terms of pallet transport and harmful to the environment. The pouches consist of less material, so we can put more on a pallet and save on CO2 emissions. In fact, we have replaced two types of packaging with one pouch.” This is not only a good move for the environment. Léontine: “For retailers, it’s also nice that the packaging now takes up much less space.”
So the new pouches are going down well! According to Léontine, what our collaboration will look like in the future can still go either way. “With the possibilities of a pouch, the short lines of the Pouch Factory and their fast delivery times, I’m sure we can respond quickly to trends. Who knows, maybe next year Sex in the City will be very popular again and we should start promoting the Cosmopolitan gummies more.” She is also thinking about a limited edition line. “But it’s not all that far off yet,” Léontine laughs. “For now, we are just very happy with the pouches that have been produced and a partner who communicates easily and delivers top quality.”
