HATCHING UP SUCCESS FOR OUR CLIENTS.
December 13, 2022
Can we get an egg roll, please? Ernest has done it again. If there are two things Ernest knows best, it’s packaging and relationships. We recently came to the rescue for Carolina Coops, a family-owned and operated business (just like us) specializing in creating craftsman chicken coops. Carolina Coops, aptly called the Ferrari of chicken coops, was desperate for a packaging partner with standards that lived up to their own. Ernest accepted the challenge, and a partnership was born. Cue song, the wind beneath my chicken wings.
The coop scoop.
Carolina Coops was growing like crazy. Their packaging dilemmas followed suit. They needed help sourcing packaging materials for their products and needed to raise the bar on box format development. Folks from all over the world were starting to purchase their impeccable designs. Thanks to some out-of-the-box thinking, Ernest quickly created custom-fit boxes for the ever-so-important roost bars along with industrial hemp packaging.
When it came to shipping the entire coop to customers, that was another massive challenge. Due to the sheer size, weight and cost of basically transporting a small house across the country or even around the world. Multiple prototypes were tested for durability to protect the products throughout the shipping cycle, in addition to different formats, structures, and materials. Ultimately, the perfect combo was achieved: dimensional weight reduced + money saved.
The result? Carolina Coops founders Matt DuBoise and Gnon Choi were freed from the perils of packaging to focus on the most important part of the business—growing sales.
Egg meets eco-friendly.
Packaging peanuts aren’t for the birds. So when it came to sustainability, Ernest and Carolina Coops were on the same trajectory. An eco-friendly packaging option wasn’t a nice to have; it was a must. Ernest has always had a strong commitment to helping clients meet their sustainability goals, and this particular egg-endeavor was no different. Ernest brought a new idea to the table ExpandOS™. Replacing peanuts with recycled paper cubes combined function and value to meet Matt, Gnon and the team’s unique specifications and truly exceed their expectations.
Outfox the old.
Ernest takes pride in looking for new ways to add innovative and efficient tools, products, and techniques to streamline our client’s packaging and processes. The approach with Carolina Coops was no different. Increasing efficiency was the name of the hen game.
Before Ernest, the Carolina Coops packing team was taping flat sheet boxes to make them three-dimensional. Not only was it time consuming, but the added plastic material was excessive. The Ernest team saw an opportunity to streamline the look of the package by using a glue gun for the assembly instead. Which proves that sometimes the simplest answers are the best.
In addition to streamlining the packaging, Carolina wanted the branding on the boxes to pull double duty for both e-commerce and retail. Ernest’s Retail Senior Design Specialists came through with a design that highlighted and elevated the Carolina Coops branding on a store shelf, while providing an effective direct shipment solution.
Ruling the worldwide roost.
Carolina Coops’ next challenge? To continue to ship these poultry palaces to all corners of the globe. If the Ernest/Carolina Coops past partnership is any indication of the future, success will certainly keep on hatching.
