Breaking the mold for what better-for-you, nutritious snack packaging should look like, Nourish Snacks has redesigned the graphics for its flexible stand-up pouch packaging with a festival of colors and patterns that convey the snack’s playful and delicious position. Nourish founder, Joy Bauer, is a registered dietitian, a health expert on NBC’s Today show, and a New York Times best-selling author. Says Libby Inchalik, Brand Manager for Nourish, “Keeping in mind that a strong voice travels far, our expectations for our new design were to bring Joy’s personality, as well as the personality of the brand, to life.”
Nourish was founded in 2014 with the belief that snacks should be both delicious and good for you—an idea the company calls “nourishing indulgence.” The original packaging for its granola bite snacks, however, failed to convey that message. “In a word, our old packaging was conventional,” says Inchalik. “Let’s be honest, the better-for-you snack aisle is cluttered with snacks that focus on trends and food certifications du jour. Nourish Snacks has something new to say, and we wanted our packaging to reflect that. Our story is all about the nutrient-rich ingredients we use and their benefit to your body.”
Working with design firm Collins in summer 2017, Nourish sought inspiration though a category audit, interviews with experts in the food space, consumer ethnographies, in-store shopalongs, and in-home interviews. What it learned was that people are actively seeking healthier food options, but they hate having to sacrifice taste in order to do so. Nourish felt it could meet this unmet need, and its packaging was an integral part of conveying that to consumers.
The new design is arresting, standing out from the competition on shelf. It consists of bold colors that Inchalik says were inspired by the purposeful ingredients used in the granola bites. The patterns—circles against diagonal stripes—are drawn from fashion, venues of fun and entertainment, and food itself. With registered dietician Joy Bauer developing all of the snacks, the circular logo is meant to be reminiscent of a seal of approval. The Nourish name is also presented with each letter—in lower case—held in a different circle. Other circles hold product variety names and product information.
“Even our approach to front-of-pack product photography is fresh,” says Inchalik. “In the age of air-brushed magazine covers, consumers are calling the bluff on unrealistic food photography. While we do show a granola bar on the front, we allow the colors and patterns to cue taste appeal, then let the back of our pack tell our nutrition story. The contrast in the front-of-pack and back-of-pack designs helps us convey both our indulgent and nourishing values—a true nourishing indulgence.”
The 1- and 4-oz gusseted, low-density polyethylene bags hold five varieties of granola bites. The pouches are flexo-printed in eight colors plus a matte varnish by CL&D, which Inchalik says created a unique touch plate that allows the colors to be printed right up to the edge of the package, for a “virtually seamless canvas.”
The new packaging was rolled out in May 2017, and Inchalik says consumers love it. “We’ve received countless compliments for breaking the mold, and people love that our packaging is truly standout—nothing at all like what’s currently in the grocery aisles,” she says. “It sparks smiles and conversation. It’s something people can see living with at home, in their bags, in their cars—an accessory to their everyday lives.”
Nourish Snacks’ are sold in Target, Wegmans, Safeway, and Stop & Shop, in hundreds of travel, business, industry, and education foodservice accounts, and on Amazon.
