Custom Ice Cream Packaging Ideas for New Brands: From Tubs to Cups to Freezer Star
Ice cream packaging might be the single most important thing you invest in after the development of your ice cream recipe. That’s because before your customer can taste your ice cream product or even judge it from the way it looks, they see your packaging. In a market where a few key players take up a lot of the freezer space, your packaging is what is going to give you a chance to stand out and separate yourself from established names.
Nav Heir
Yellow and blue ice cream container sitting on a counter surrounded by four other ice cream containers.
Ice cream packaging might be the single most important thing you invest in after the development of your ice cream recipe. That’s because before your customer can taste your ice cream product or even judge it from the way it looks, they see your packaging. In a market where a few key players take up a lot of the freezer space, your packaging is what is going to give you a chance to stand out and separate yourself from established names.
Ice cream packaging can do all of the following:
- Communicates brand value
- Can provide positioning
- Can improve consumer experience
- Sustainable packaging can connect with eco-conscious consumers.
- Upcycled performance under extreme cold temperatures
In this article, you are going to learn about why packaging is very important for ice cream products, especially for new brands. We’ll go through what traditional ice cream packaging is, innovations in custom packaging, and how you can set your brand apart from the pack and create a reputation for yourself.
What Is Ice Cream Packaging Made Of?
Ice cream packaging is first and foremost a functional part of your product, as it provides protection and transportation in the form of a vessel. Typically, ice cream packaging is made of either paperboard or plastic. Paperboard is made out of cellulose fibers from wood pulp, just like paper.
However, paperboard is thicker and more rigid than paper, which makes it useful for applications like ice cream packaging. Paperboard is also fairly lightweight and easy to print on and is recyclable. Of course, in the case of food applications, the paperboard is food-grade, and liners are applied to act as moisture and odor barriers.
Paperboard Packaging Advantages
- printable
- lightweight
- Recyclable
- moisture barrier
- odour-barrier
Plastic is also a popular choice for ice cream packaging because it is rigid and durable. It works well in cold environments, and the packaging itself can often be reused. Typical plastics used for ice cream packaging include types that will not crack in the cold, like Polypropylene, as well as types that are strong and sturdy, like Polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Plastic Packaging Advantages
- Lightweight
- Durable
- Can handle low temps.
- Potentially reuseable
In addition to opaque plastic containers, there are clear containers that are made from PET. The advantages of these types of containers are that customers can see the product. This is great for brands that are not yet established and need to earn the trust of customers.
Clear Plastic Packaging Advantages
- Visual uniqueness
- Product visible
- Pops on shelves
- Lightweight
- Durable
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Why Is Ice Cream Packaging So Important?
Packaging plays a much larger role in the purchase of ice cream products than it does in the purchase of other food items. A key reason is that ice cream is an indulgence purchase rather than a weekly food list requirement. Grocery items for mealtimes, snack times, and packaged lunches are weighed on very different factors than ice cream is.
Ice Cream as an indulgence Purchase
For the most part, packaged food in the grocery store is bought for its functional need. That means it is required as an ingredient in a meal, or it is a nutritional component or a staple product that is purchased week after week. How are those buying decisions weighed?
Factors affecting mealtime food-buying decisions
- Price
- Nutrition label
- Best before date
- Size
Ice cream, on the other hand, is never bought for its nutritional value or as part of a meal prep. For most households, it is not a staple item, and sizing usually swings between individual portions and family size.
Factors affecting ice cream-buying decisions
- Flavor
- Packaging
- Price
- Brand
How to Balance Brand and Function
While packaging for certain types of products is essentially a transportation tool, for ice cream, the packaging plays a necessary role. That means you need to manage the function alongside your attempts to entertain and delight your potential customers.
The purpose of ice cream packaging is to keep ice cream protected by preventing contamination and to retain its cold temperature. That’s not to mean the packaging itself provides a freezer-like effect, but simply that the packaging should ensure the ice cream stays cold when the package is inside a cooling element.
And the packaging should provide a barrier to keep oxygen out of the container to prevent oxidation and dehydration, or rather, the dreaded ‘freezer burn’. While ice cream packaging is still required for the aforementioned purposes, today it does a lot more than play the role of the protector. Ice cream packaging today combines both customization and style with functionality. Today, brands can create packaging that helps them stand out from the pack while also maintaining high-quality standards for their products.
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What Are Some New Ice Cream Packaging Ideas?
Brands developing custom packaging ideas in today’s market are spoiled for choice. While the standard plastic and paperboard tubs and pints are still popular packaging choices,you have many ways to make the packaging your own.
Ice Cream Packaging Shapes
When you think of the shape of ice cream packaging, there are likely two things that come to mind. Either you think of a rectangular shape with rounded corners, or you think about a cylindrical shape in the case of single-service ice creams. Or, in the case of ice cream sandwiches or popsicles, you likely think of a paperboard box. But today, there are new shapes on the market that can really help your brand stand out.
Square Ice Cream Packaging
These ice cream containers look ultra-modern and can elevate your ice cream brand, giving it a premium quality presence. Additionally, they are easy to stack, so the change in shape does not affect their functionality. The sides provide ample room for branding, or you could just let the shape speak for itself.
Oval Ice Cream Packaging
Oval or elongated tubs give your ice cream product an instant differentiator because of the way it sits on freezer shelves. Your stack breaks up the monotony of the standard containers and, with that, drives interest, at least enough for a customer to pick up the packaging, wondering, what’s this?
Cone-shaped Cups for Ice Cream Packaging
Cone-shaped cups are a great novelty option for presenting your ice cream product in places like convenience stores and gas stations. The cone shapes are typically accompanied by dome lids and allow you to showcase toppings.
Ice Cream Packaging Textures
Texture is not normally something many of us think about when it comes to ice cream packaging, as traditionally, most packaging feels pretty much the same. But now, new coatings allow you to give your packaging a variety of finishes that change the texture and can make your product more memorable.
Embossed Packaging
This method creates raised characters on your packaging. You can raise your logo, text, create patterns, or raise graphics. It gives your packaging and your ice cream a premium feel.
Matte Finish
Matte finishes also provide a premium feel. The texture, as well as the matte finish, together give packaging an almost air-brushed clean look. This matte finishing on your ice cream is in contrast to traditionally glossy and bright ice cream packaging. Both styles have their place; it just depends on the type of energy you want your brand to exude.
Certainly, if you’re making products for kids, you’re not going to want to use matte packaging, but if your goal is to have an older clientele or place your products in specialty stores, then matte finishing could be a great idea.
Resealable Lids
While ice cream packaging has always come with a lid, the quality of the sealing of those lids can be considered questionable. Most people who eat ice cream have experienced that disappointment of opening up a tub of ice cream only to discover the lid was not on tightly and the ice cream inside smelled funny or had started developing crystals from oxygenation.
Thankfully, new innovations mean resealable lids for ice cream packaging are actually keeping the ice cream fresh and keeping the oxygen outside.
Double-Wall Insulation
We live in a home-delivery-is-king kind of timeline, and that means ice cream is often delivered via grocery delivery apps or takeaway food delivery. That means ice cream containers are spending more time outside of freezers than they have in the past. And for this problem, there is a solution. Double-wall insulation packaging helps to keep the cold inside the package for longer periods of time.
Sustainable Ice Cream Packaging
One of the biggest trends in ice cream packaging is sustainability. Previously, the focus of ice cream packaging was for protection in whatever shape or form it came in. However, today, with an increasingly eco-conscious society, sustainability must play a factor in the packaging you choose for your ice cream.
Consumers today actively make purchasing decisions based on their personal values. More and more people today feel a sense of environmental responsibility and make buying decisions on how products align with this value. Product packaging is a well-known environmental concern, as historically the materials used in packaging, like plastics, have not been environmentally-friendly.
Even today, items are often packaged in multiple layers. For example, ice cream sandwiches are packaged in individual wrappers, then in a box, and then potentially in a plastic wrapping over the box. While that type of packaging was acceptable a decade ago, for environmentally conscious consumers, it is a no-go.
Plant-based Materials
Much like how plant-based eating went from somewhat obscure to mainstream adjacent, plant-based materials for packaging are having their own renaissance. Today, numerous types of plant-based materials for ice cream packaging and ice cream packaging coatings are on the market. For example, polylactic acid (PLA) is made by fermenting plant products like sugarcane and corn and is used as a moisture barrier instead of synthetic materials. In terms of materials, paperboard is environmentally-friendly as long as it is printed with natural dyes.
Reusable Ice Cream Containers
A new movement in ice cream packaging involves reusable containers. They are specifically designed to be sturdy enough so they can be used as food containers once the ice cream is done. For brands looking to cater to the eco-conscious consumer looking for eco-friendly packaging, this is a great option.
Transparent Window Packaging
Another new way that brands are choosing to stand out is through the use of transparent packaging windows for their ice cream tub design. Not only is this an approach that is not all that common on the freezer shelf, but it also creates a layer of trust with a consumer. That’s because they can see the actual product before making the purchase and, in turn, feel more confident about what they’re getting.
For example, sometimes some ice cream makers label a flavor, but as soon as you open up the package and see the color of the ice cream, you have a good feeling it’s not going to taste like what the packaging said it would. Well, if you provide your customers with a window to see inside the packaging, then they can be confident that what the box says they’ll be getting is what is actually going to be inside the ice cream tub.
If you have particularly beautiful ice cream with unique elements inside, like chunks of chocolate, candy, and swirls, then using that as part of your packaging gives you a unique advantage. Your ice cream can sell itself rather than just your graphics and design.
Interactive Packaging
The latest in ice cream packaging includes interactive elements that help with customer engagement. You can include QR codes that can link to recipes that include your ice cream products, like ice cream cake or sundaes. Other things the QR code can link to include behind-the-scenes as well as brand stories. These fun connections can help new customers connect to your brand and also do a little research about you before buying your product.
You can also place games and illustrations on your packaging or even under the lid. This gives the container itself a life of its own, in addition to the tasty treat inside.
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Single-Serve Ice Cream Packaging
Ice cream containers designed for individual portions are growing in popularity. That is due to changing lifestyles where you have more and more single households as well as more people enjoying active lifestyles and preferring to purchase items they can enjoy on-the-go.
Great Way to Introduce New Flavors
In addition to that, if you want to test out new flavors, testing them in single serves is a great way to go before rolling out a full launch. Small portions also allow customers to try new flavors they wouldn’t typically try if they were to commit to a full pint.
Advantage for New Ice Cream Brands
In many cases, once a customer likes a particular product, they will keep buying the same one over and over again, like a specific brand of vanilla cream. With single-serve packaging, customers can try out your brand without having to commit their full ice cream budget to a product they aren’t sure is great.
Alternative Distribution Channel
For ice cream brands that want to expand their reach, alternative distribution in places like convenience stores and gas stations could be a good idea. However, in order to get yourself placed in those freezers, you will likely need single-serve portion sizes, as that is what they typically stock.
Old-School Ice Cream Packaging Becomes New School With a Few Tweaks
The standard plastic ice cream tub made out of plastic is still the most popular type of packaging for ice cream. The tubs are easy to stack and store. Ice cream tubs typically come in pint, quarter, or half-gallon sizes. They provide a good-sized area for branding and nutrition information on all four sides. You can also use this space to tell your brand story, especially if you’re a relatively new brand that consumers are not yet familiar with.
Because this is one of the most common types of packaging for ice cream, in order to differentiate yourself from all of the other tubs in freezer shelves, you need to make a design statement. Popular and established brands can simply splash their name across an ice cream tub and stand a good chance of being picked up off the shelf, but as a new brand, there has to be something about your packaging that speaks to the average ice cream consumer.
Ways to Customize Your Classic Ice Cream Tub
Many ice cream brands use very ‘loud’ packaging with bright primary colors and large text and colors. If you want your ice cream tub to stand out, using styles that differ from the majority rather than blend in with what’s popular can help. One of the key ways you can do that is with minimalist style ideas.
Minimalist Packaging Design
A minimalist packaging style, clean fonts, a simple layout, and a few choice colors. This style of packaging can be associated with premium products as it creates a sophisticated impression. Minimalist packaging also makes it easy for customers to identify all of the elements they are looking for, like your flavor, nutrition details, and information about your brand.
Artisanal Ice Cream Packaging Ideas
If you’re a small-batch ice cream producer, there are a lot of ways you can customize your packaging so that it reflects the nature of your business. Artisanal ice cream packaging ideas include using illustrations that look hand-drawn as well as choosing an earthy color palette like muted greens, browns, and ivories. You can even get creative with textures and use text that signals homemade.
Seasonal Designs
Customers now expect their favorite brands to change their offerings with the seasons. That change can be with the product itself like a new flavor. For example, a candy can ice cream. But you can also introduce that seasonal change with your packaging like creating Halloween-inspired packaging for the month of October. People specifically choose themed products especially when their hosting and attending seasonal parties.
Custom Ice Cream Cups
As an added part of a branding push, creating custom ice cream cups to give to distributors of your ice cream. You can brand these cups with your colors, logo, and even a little bit about your company. They provide a little story moment as customers enjoy your product.
Ice Cream Packaging As An Investment
Ice cream packaging is an investment in your future rather than a functional cost. If you’re a new brand, it’s especially important to choose customized packaging that is going to be noticed by customers. This customized packaging should exude what you are as a brand while also keeping in mind customer expectations from ice cream brands.
As you can imagine, before refrigeration, no one was packaging ice cream. It was something that had to be eaten right away. Today, ice cream packaging is a huge part of branding and delivers first impressions. That means if you’re a new ice cream business founder, you would do well to spend some time deciding on what your unique identity is going to be in this already full ice cream space.
Your packaging has to speak for you, before your ice cream product does, and once you develop a following, your packaging will always be a part of the way your customers recognize you and the way you show up in stores, online, and on social media. By choosing the right type of packaging and customizing to reflect your brand, you can create something iconic that represents your brand as much as the ice cream does.
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