TASTY FACTS

Scientists have measured the taste bud density. They found that an adult who is an "average taster" has about 184 taste buds per square centimeter of tongue - now that's a lot of tasting - but some people are "supertasters" with 425 buds per sq.cm. whereas those called "non-tasters" average just 96 buds per sq.cm. Where do you think you rate?

For the record: The annual consumption of chocolate in North America is about 11.3 pounds per person. In Switzerland, it is more… 21 pounds of chocolate per person.

As for beer, China is the world’s largest consumer by a significant margin (20%) followed by the USA. But on a per capita basis, neither of these two make the top 10 list; USA ranks 13. Canada’s per capita consumption rank is 19th. On average, each Canadian citizen of legal age drinks 68.3 litres of the golden nectar each year, but this pales by comparison to those at the top of the list (for 2004):

 

  

  

 

 

 

Our Favourite Food Group

A balanced diet consists of items from the five major food groups: dairy, grains, meats, fruits/vegetables, and chocolate. The cocoa bean was discovered more than 2,000 years ago, and chocolate has since become North America’s favourite flavour.

Foley’s Chocolates is a well established Vancouver-based chocolate factory that services wholesale customers across Canada and throughout the USA. Their product lines include bulk and packaged retail products, foodservice items, private label packages and custom formulations. Even if you haven’t heard of Foley’s, there is a strong chance you’ve eaten their chocolate.

After many years of investing profit back into their manufacturing technology and facility capabilities, Foley’s decided it was time to rejuvenate their image within the marketplace. They came to Red Rocket to develop an encompassing marketing program; this lead to a refreshed identity and development of a new packaging standard.

The packaging solution is luscious and fun. A rich colour palette, stylized cocoa bean illustrations and swirling graphics give the product a desirable and truly appetizing personality. The revitalized packaging is just hitting the streets now and the feedback is utterly positive; garnering serious interest from clients where none existed before. 

PS: This project required a significant time investment in competitive analysis and product sampling, but we prevailed.

 

Beer and May Long Weekend

Beer and May long weekend, they go hand in hand. If your brand isn’t on the liquor store shelves for the May long weekend, rumour has it, you can kiss summer sales goodbye. To ensure this opportunity was not missed, Pacific Western Brewing reviewed its products for the approaching season and decided to inject some life into its Genuine Draft product line. Sales were on the decline and something had to be done.

To capture the “ice cold beer on a hot summer afternoon” inspiration we simulated the water droplets that appear when chilled beer is freshly poured into a mug. To complement the water droplets we incorporated a stylized maple leaf illustration. PWB is a fiercely proud Canadian company and the maple leaf connects to the company’s long-standing heritage. The retro-style logo was predominantly positioned on each box panel for maximum impact.

We anticipate a notable improvement in sales due to the overhauled carton design; now that the sales reps have a new story to tell their clients, retailers have a more appealing product to present, and consumers take notice of the stylish and improved packaging. Ahhh, time for another cold one…