Q. How do I know which stock box to order or what type of custom box should be designed?

This raises the issue of presentation—a box is not simply a packaging for your confectionery items, but reflects your image and value of your products.  This is critical since it determines how you price your product in the market place, and hence impacts your profit margin.  “ If you want to sell at premium prices, then your product must look like a premium product.”

• Ask yourself, What “look” do I want—upscale, attention getting, unique, good value, home spun, etc?
• Determine the amount of candy, ¼ lb., ½ lb., and 1 lb., etc. or number of pieces of candy that you want to offer in each box?  How many sizes?
• Do you want a consistent look for your product line?  Or, do you want to show variation within this look, specifically to take advantage of holidays, or for an upscale “look”?
• Are you going to offer different products, truffles, enrobed candy, nuts, jelly beans, coated pretzels, hard candy, panned coffee beans, or dipped strawberries, etc?  What type of boxes do you need for each?
• Does the Sweet Packaging™ product line of stock packages offer the options and image/presentation you desire…if yes, then the stock box is your best choice.   Otherwise, Sweet Packaging will manufacturer custom boxes that meet your requirements.   Remember that the stock boxes with an embossed label or hot stamped may be all you need to make the stock box unique.  The Sweet Packaging™ system can be customized.
  

Q. How should my confectionery product be presented?

Questions concerning presentation need to be answered:

• Do you want to use trays in your boxes or do you want the candy placed in cups loose packed?  This affects the total cost of your product, since trays take up space and save on product cost. At the same time however, they present an upscale image, which can help sell your products at premium prices.
• Do you want the customer to see the product, such as chocolate-coated pretzels, through a clear vinyl lid?  Certain items sell better when seen.
• Do you want to use special gift-wrap papers to cover boxes for the holidays, or some other less costly means?   Embossed foil labels…Holiday ribbons/bows?
• Do you want to have a more traditional look in a rigid box (loose wrapped) or do you want to have a more clean looking (tight wrapped) presentation, but upscale?
• Do you want to present your confections in a counter display and fill boxes from the display in your stores? Is storage of boxes an issue in your retail stores?  Trays can be made interchangeable for different size boxes: trays that can fit one 1 lb. box can equally fit two ½ lb. boxes.
• Is shelf life of your products an issue, such as bloom, loss of flavor, etc?  This raises issues of product turnover, product handling, and possibly, formulation.  Packaging also plays a role in shelf life, such as allowing for storage under frozen conditions, shrink wrapping, insulation, proper closure, etc.
• What is your distribution network setup?  This can affect the quantity and types of packages used.
• Do you want to offer a gift along with the candy, such as a coffee mug, or a plush toy, etc? A value-added approach helps in incremental and impulse sales…. a gift such as a mug or baseball with chocolate can make a seasonal event of baseball, etc.
• Will the box be used for single or multiple uses, such as gift, presentations, promotions, special events, and special holidays, or will it be shipped?   What can be done to the box to allow it to have multiple uses?

Q. How do I determine the size of my box?

Folding Boxes

• The length is the longest dimension of the box’s opening, the width is the shorter dimension, and the height is perpendicular to the opening, i.e., L x W x H.
  

Set-Up Boxes

• A box is measured on the inner edge of the base as length x width x height (depth). (L x W x H).
  

Q. How should the box be constructed?

• The depth of the lid can vary, do you want it to telescope all the way down to the bottom of the base, or do you want some of the base to show?  This will effect your presentation, ease of opening the box, and the cost.
• What color board would you like for your boxes? Boxes are constructed of either white or brown board for confectionery use, which are FDA approved.  Other colors are available as a special order, i.e. black.
• Do you want a box that has rigid walls or a folding box? If you want a folding box, what style do you want?   Do you want a window on the lid of your folding box? Do you want a window or a full clear-vinyl lid on your set-up box? If you want a rigid box do you want it printed, or wrapped in paper? If the boxes are wrapped/ laminated in paper do you want a loose-wrap look or a tight-wrap look? The style of the box effects the cost of your packaging, storage requirements, and most importantly presentation / image.
  

Q. How do I know which boxes are the best fit for the amount of candy that I want to sell?

• The Substitution Table provides a suggested guide that you an used to determine which box would be appropriate for your particular requirements.
• It is difficult to determine simply by looking at the square dimensions of the box which is the best fit for your candy assortment, since square inches (length x width) is not the only factor to be considered.  The shape of the candy, the height of the candy, and whether or not if trays are to be used, determines which box may be best for you. 
• While, the Substitution Table presents information on which boxes can be substituted for others in terms of their square inches, you are the best judge which box would be best for you.  For example, there are 14 boxes that could be used for a ½ lb. of candy, but given your particular assortment or type of candy, other sizes could also be appropriate.
  

Substitution Table - Click Here

Q. How can I get a sample of a stock product?

• Samples of in-stock, boxes are available upon request.  {NOTE: Samples and / or pictures of limited edition and reserve stock boxes may also be available.}  Call customer service at 1-800-486-0444, or better still, fax us at 1-800-229-0446 with your request.