Making lemonade by the pitcher, or the glass, just got faster and easier, with Kraft Foods’ introduction of Country Time Lemonade Starter. The product, a liquid concentrate, comes in a rigid container with an easy-to-grip shape. The packaging design features a flip-top closure with built-in spout, for ease of product preparation, and full-body labeling, for brand appeal on-shelf.
The design takes the Country Time brand, and beverage packaging generally, in a fresh direction, offering a smaller format than ready-to-drink, multi-serve bottles and features that make the package easy to handle and pour from. Each 18.2-oz Country Time Lemonade Starter bottle makes 24 8-oz glasses or three pitchers of lemonade.
Kraft offers the product in three flavors: Classic Lemonade, Berry Lemonade, and Half Lemonade & Half Iced Tea. To make a little or a lot, the consumer flips open the bottle’s closure, pours the specified amount of concentrate into a glass or pitcher, adds water and stirs to mix. Instructions and concentrate/water amounts are printed on the label’s back panel.
Jason Braun, R&D packaging spokesperson for Country Time, shares a few details about the package.
This bottle has an unusual shape. Is it a proprietary structural design?
Braun: The Country Time Lemonade Starter bottle is a custom-designed, proprietary bottle and is patent pending.
Why is the bottle shaped this way—for easy grip, easy pouring? Other reasons?
Braun: We designed the bottle in this way for a few reasons. Importantly, because this is a new product in a new form, and to differentiate from ready-to-drink offerings, we formatted the bottle structure to be reminiscent of a modern pitcher/carafe to cue consumers that this is a product you should pour, not drink directly out of the bottle. Other contributing factors included ease of grip and use in preparation, and a contemporary, premium look and feel.
How do consumers measure the product? Or is it like MiO Liquid Water Enhancer, where you add as much flavor as you want?
Braun: There are on-pack preparation instructions and a clear view strip on the side of the bottle to help guide consumers through [the] pitcher-preparation process.
What plastics are the bottle and closure made from?
Braun: The bottle is made from high-density polyethylene, and the closure is made from polypropylene.
Was the flip-top closure, with spout, a custom-designed component?
Braun: The sloped back, flip-top closure with integrated pour spout was custom designed to seamlessly flow into the bottle structure. The spout was designed to provide consumers with no-drip, no-mess preparation.
Who designed this package?
Braun: The structural design was a collaborative effort by Kraft Foods, in conjunction with Graham Packaging in York, Pa. Graphical design was led by Landor Associates, in close collaboration with Kraft Foods.
Does the package have a full-body shrink label?
Braun: Yes, the label is a full-body shrink that goes over the closure to maximize graphic space and to provide a tamper-evident feature. The shrink label is perforated for ease of opening.
Who are the packaging suppliers for this product?
Braun: Our material partners are Graham Packaging Co. (bottle), Aptar Group (closure), Selig Group (induction seal) and American Fuji Seal (label).
