An FSC cardboard "suitcase", a spout and a handle to hold a local recipe. This is unprecedented in the pet food sector. It can be said that few people take the risk and there are many reasons for this. In this article, we will explain why this choice was made and what the barriers were.
"It's the consumer's fault"
From the outset of the project, we felt it was important to design packaging that respected the environment. Nowadays, more and more plastic is being recycled, but you never know what will happen to it once it is thrown away. It could be processed properly, or it could end up stored off the coast of Liberia or Sierra Leone at the mercy of the slightest gust of wind that will blow this little piece of plastic out into the Atlantic Ocean.
So rather than do as the most polluting companies do, who slap the fingers of the end consumer with an oath to sort properly, we prefer to take the problem at face value and offer our product in environmentally friendly packaging.
Our choice
There are several solutions, but two of them were of particular interest to us. Biodegradable packaging or cardboard. The goal of our action is obviously to have 0% plastic. So-called "biodegradable" non-natural packaging is much better than simple plastic packaging because it will degrade more quickly if, by some misfortune, it gets into nature. What is not said, however, is that it is industrially biodegradable. There are indeed a few factories abroad that take care of it, but how many of them come to this factory? From a marketing point of view, it's great, but from an environmental point of view, we can do better than that. Today, cardboard is one of the most environmentally friendly materials. It is often made from recycled paper and cardboard. It is strong enough to serve several times. Once its use is over, it can be recycled again to start a new life or it will decompose quickly. In our case, we have therefore chosen to work with FSC cardboard because it comes from sustainably managed forests. The aim is to protect the forest in which we obtain our supplies as well as its occupants, however diverse they may be.
Enhancing the experience
Once the choice of material was made, the design was considered. With a "suitcase" system, we could actually bring together three solutions to things that usually cause problems.
The first concerns the air! Your dog is very happy when he sees his new bag arriving, but is much less attracted a few weeks later? This is normal, a bag that has been left open has lost all its freshness because it has remained in contact with the air. The more it is in contact with the air, the more it loses its appetence. That was the first thing we wanted to solve. Colonel Gustave croquettes keep all their flavour because the box has a quick & simple closure. The second one is on the handle. Gone are the heavy bags you carry at your fingertips, now there's a comfortable handle so you can make shopping fun and even go mopin' with your dog easily. After all, that's all he's asking for. To top it all off, we've installed a spout that allows you to pour without wasting a crumb. With that, no more excuses if you put some on the side. ;-)
Long months of elaboration
Everything started from a drawing and a mini-model made by our friend Gustave. Subsequently, we received a few proposals and various tests were carried out on the comfort of the handle and spout, but also on the strength of the weight to be supported. It took us almost 6 months of work with our Belgian partner to create all this. We are very happy with the result and we hope that you will be just as pleased with it.
A unique format
After contacting various players in the market, we decided to make a 6kg portable format. After contacting various players in the market, we decided to make a 6kg portable format. For the rest of the project, we are going to create various formats in order to satisfy as many people as possible. Do you have a format preference? Do not hesitate to let us know by sending us a short message at hello@colonelgustave.com.What next?
We have already told you about the project itself, our recipe and the packaging. We will therefore bring out a new article for people who wish to welcome a dog. We will try to guide you in the famous choice of adopting a puppy or an adult dog.
