As distribution grew, the family-owned company decided it was time to update its look. "The redesign covered all six of our batter products," says Jane McPhaul, president of J.O. Spice. Most prominent is a wavelike pattern that appears across the tops of cartons, creating the appearance of one long wave across store shelves. This is consistent with the company's spice products, and it ties in with a "Catch the Wave" marketing theme. "We really couldn't have done it without Moi," says McPhaul, referring to Moi, Inc. (Bel Air, MD), a packaging broker that took J.O. Spice from concept to final package in just four months. "We sat down as a family and decided what we needed to do," she continues, "but Moi knew what to do from a legal standpoint, and with suppliers, photographers, and so on." Cartons, consisting of a 20-pt clay-coated newsboard, are printed offset in four colors with an aqueous varnish. They're converted and printed by Display Pack (Grand Rapids, MI). J.O. Spice operators manually load two pouches of batter per carton and then glue top and bottom closed. Pressure-sensitive labels with expiration dates are applied to the bottom; J.O. Spice gives its batters a nine-month shelf life. "It's doing wonderfully so far," says McPhaul. "You don't see much out there that appeals to regional foods or tastes and that's what we're trying to do."
