Ernest to the Rescue: Custom Bags Transform Nut Brand

The Problem

Ever go nuts opening a bag of nuts, wishing you could reseal it and prevent it from tipping over and out all over the place? Then the nuts go stale. That’s bad news for you, but it’s even worse news for the nut company. You just had a bad experience with their food, and that’s not what they intended.

Poindexter Nut Company, a California walnut company, had transformed every aspect of its business over two years. From building a new walnut processing facility to a reenergized commitment to community, Poindexter needed new packaging to reinforce its brand’s evolution.

The packaging had to epitomize all that Poindexter stands for. Poindexter had plans to unveil the packaging at PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim, CA, so the challenge had been set to give the nuts the best possible bag.

The Solution

Ernest Packaging Solutions rallied its Sacramento team of packaging experts to find the perfect bag for Poindexter’s big reveal. Led by Ernest Client Relationship Manager John Sloan, the team worked diligently for months to develop custom bags to suit such a large brand overhaul. It required a true understanding of the client’s goals to develop a cost-effective solution to set Poindexter up for success.

“There’s a major battle for shelf space in stores,” said Greg Feinberg, President of Aisle 9, a Los Angeles-based product development and marketing firm. “Consumers are trained to look for certain elements on food packaging today. They demand certain ingredients and shun others. If you want to succeed in today’s marketplace, your packaging must reflect that your products offer exactly what they want.”

Poindexter Nut Company’s packaging had to highlight product information, industry facts and nutritional data without any smoke and mirrors. The customer outlined necessary and unique capabilities for the nuts’ bags—these bags were a touchpoint with the customer that had to provide an experience.

Through innovative design in collaboration with John’s team, the bags were also to feature custom quick response (QR) codes on every bag to engage customers through a mobile website. The custom branded codes needed to grab the customer’s attention, and Ernest customized multiple iterations to maximize the QR code’s visibility.

These QR codes also invite consumers to select a non-profit organization to which the nut company would make a donation on their behalf, which is a huge impact on the customer experience with the brand.

Ernest Packaging Solutions rose to the challenge to design a bag to reinforce Poindexter Nut Company’s most recent step to give back to the community and promote the importance of education, health, and whole-body wellness.

“Over the last two years we have redesigned and improved every aspect of our business, from our new walnut processing facility to our packaging and retailing,” said Michael Poindexter, CEO of Poindexter Nut Company. “These new bags are on the marketing end of our development and represent our brand’s transformation.”

The re-sealable, stand-up gusseted bags offer a strong shelf presence and the full width window allows for easy visibility of the product. Embellished with natural and earthly high quality graphic images on the outside, consumers can be assured the product inside is just as enticing.

“It’s one thing to introduce mobile technology into packaging and point of sale,” Feinberg said. “But if your packaging fails the fundamental principles of a shopper’s experience, you will fail. Your product has to deliver the real thing.”

Poindexter has been delivering the real thing for years and its new packaging enhances its customers’ experience—and will better the community as a whole through charity. That’s a huge win for packaging!

“Our new packaging isn’t a bag anymore. It allows our customers to actually interact with us, and it keeps our product fresh,” continued Michael Poindexter, “We couldn’t be happier with the finished product and our experience with Ernest!”

All of Poindexter’s efforts to improve its business coupled with Ernest’s commitment to designing the perfect packaging have paid off. Poindexter Nut Company is thrilled with the results of the bags and has showcased them at agriculture summits and expos around the country. Even the tagline now reads, “It’s in the bag!” And it really is.

At Ernest, we always think big, whether it’s a peanut-filled Ming vase or whole-body wellness nuts. Need a packaging solution that your customers will go nuts over—in a good way? Then contact Ernest Packaging Solutions to ensure your products seal the best possible customer experience.