When you look online you can see Super Greens come in a variety of different packages, tubs, pouches, and even bottles for capsules. The most popular packagings are tubs and pouches. The least popular is in capsule form (you can see why below).
Recently there has been a move away from using tubs to using pouches, Athletic Greens for example.
The rise in popularity of Pouches is probably down to the fact that they can look really great and they may be easier for posting. Personally I am not so keen on using them, I will go into why, below.
Eco-friendly Packaging
It’s worth mentioning here that I did think of using more eco-friendly packaging and avoiding plastic altogether. But boy, being eco friendly is not easy!
The only realistic alternative to tubs and pouches is by using paper sachets as you see with premixed coffee sachets, sugar, or cereal sachets.
I have seen some Super Greens packaged in this way as servings to take when on the go. When I first thought of this I really like the idea and contacted my manufacturer about how viable an option this would be.
I knew that the unit cost would increase as the packaging and labor would go up, but was shocked to find the cost would be 20-25% higher than the tub/pouch option. If the cost was marginal, then it would have been a no brainer, but an increase of 25% on the unit cost is just too high to absorb.
I am hoping that the cost of sachets will come down in the future if they do I will change my packaging.
Why Pouches May Not Be A Good Idea
In my research, I looked at the common feedback from verified Amazon customers (a neat little trick for getting ideas) and found that in some cases pouches split during delivery. This meant customers meaning customers needed to go through a support process to receive a replacement. I want to avoid this as much as I can.
No-one likes to receive damaged goods.
Pouches are in my opinion more fragile than tubs and although in some cases they could be easier to deliver through the letterbox the problem of broken packaging still outweighs then benefits.
Additionally, when I was testing I found that the Super Greens that used pouches were very tricky to scoop the servings out when the pouch was nearly empty and I ended up pouring the pouch contents into a resealable tub at home, which sort of defeats the point of using a pouch eh?
Delivery Mechanism – Capsules or Powder?
I have discussed this previously, but it’s worthwhile going over it again as I want to highlight the issue with choosing capsules for a supplement like Super Greens.
As we’re looking to have the clinical dose of each ingredient in our formula, it's unlikely we can fit enough quantity into capsules to be easily consumed.
The fill rate for your standard 00 capsules, think standard supplement capsule size, is approximately 600mg to 1100mg depending on the formulation density (Capsuline explain this in much more detail in their chart).
Taking capsules can work very well if only need to take 1-3 capsules per day, but imagine having to take 10 though to get your 12gms?
Choosing Tub Size and Colour
The tub size was an easy one in that the manufacturer recommended a 32 oz High-density polyethylene (HDPE) tub (see picture below), which would be sufficient for the 30-day supply of 12gm per serving, making it a fairly substantial size and weight of 390gm.
Initially, the manufacture only stocked white tubs and other colors would need to be ordered in and mean a higher minimum order quantity (MOQ). But after I had spent some time going through branding and logo design, I realized I needed to pivot to a black tub.
Thankfully for me, the manufacturer does stock a black 32oz HDPE tub and so there would be no additional MOQ tub orders required or change to the supplement production timings.
There are a few Super Green brands that use black or dark blue, but these tend to be in black pouches.
I really like the idea of a black tub, as I believe this will really stand out and give a premium, luxury feels to the product, something that is essential when you consider my target audience.
Tub Scoop Size
A quick mention here on scoops that were included with all Super Greens I tried. Scoops are important as they ensure you take the correct serving size, I found it really strange that some of the scoops had tiny handles, it was almost as if the scoop was an afterthought.
If you want repeat business then the feeling of luxury needs to be throughout the product. Saving 2 pennies on your scoops could cost you a repeat purchase.
Anyway small scoops mean when you halfway through your supply of green powder reaching into the tub to scoop out a serving size often means your hand gets stuck and can spill your powder everywhere.
This, of course, is an easy problem to solve – Use a better quality scoop with a longer handle!
So, I have asked the manufacturer to include a scoop with a longer handle, sorted.
Plastic Tubs Safe? Quick word on BPA
There is a concern that using plastic for storing food or any consumable goods is not safe longer-term and could be detrimental to health.
BPA, or bisphenol A, is an industrial chemical that has been used to make some plastics for over 50 years now. Found in polycarbonate plastics often used in containers to store food and drinks, some research has shown it could possibly seep into the contents of BPA based containers.
This is, of course, concern and so we are clearly going for BPA free tubs for the supplement.
Any time you look to buy plastic goods you plan to use for food or liquids, ALWAYS check there is a BPA free label on the container. If not on the side check the bottom of the container.
To Use Retail Boxes
You tend to see these more on the shelf in your local Walmart or Tesco for offline brands more than brands sold exclusively online. The reason being they enhance the appeal when on the shelf and give more space for advertising the product.
If done correctly, using a retail box can also increase the perceived value of the product. This is the case too online but it’s less effective.
Interestingly, I wonder if this enhances the customer experience when unboxing?
I am still undecided on if I should use a retail box.
Retail boxes are fairly inexpensive to produce even at fairly low volumes, so the only real cost would be for a designer to produce the artwork for the box. The artwork needs to be good though, and I’m doubtful I would get anything useful from a site like Fiverr.
At the end of the day the focus is on producing a great label and stunning black tub that really stands out. Getting a good design on my retail box would probably set me back in time so, I’m doubtful I will use a retail box at the start and so I will revisit this at a later date.
Summary
If I could click my figures and go for the best option, it would certainly be sachets. These are great for making each serving size portable, meaning you can simply take a few away with you if you’re traveling. The cost is prohibitive though and simply adds too much to each unit price.
The end result of looking at various packaging options I have selected a black 32 oz HDPE tub that is BPA free. This is the safe and most cost-effective solution and will revisit this in what I hope to be different versions of this supplement brand.
The next stage is to look at the branding, logo, and importantly label design.