Packaging Solutions
Mr Fothergill’s was looking to re-design its range of ‘Little Gardener’ starter propagator packs, ideal for young gardeners or the smaller garden, that could also be easily packed and printed.
The company chose to approach thermoforming packaging manufacturer, Macpac, with its highly efficient thermoforming machinery and low cost tooling, allowing for increased flexibility and highly cost effective minimum runs from as little as 1000 units upwards.
It was a natural choice, with Macpac having a well established reputation in the horticultural sector, helped by the close collaboration with a mail order nursery to create a distinctive and hugely successful plug Plantpac range for purchase online from the dedicated Plantpac website, along with seed tray propagator packs which they had been manufacturing for a number of years.
Mr Fothergill’s had collaborated with Macpac on earlier highly successful projects and was therefore well aware of the compnay’s capabilities in designing bespoke packaging to brief, time and budget. With environmental protection also being a key driver, it was equally anxious to provide a plastic mini propagator tray that would safeguard its customers’ green credentials, whilst satisfying the product’s environmental promises.
For both Macpac and its customer, protection of the environment is a company wide objective, and the company continually strives to eliminate any damaging effects across the range of product designs, with the considered choice of material, manufacture and in the distribution of products to customers. Macpac’s design therefore was to engineer a propagator tray that contained dimples in the base to retain moisture, the renewably sourced material chosen was blended with 90% post consumer recyclate (R-PET), the finished pack itself being 100% fully recyclable, and end product weight was reduced without compromising on functionality.
Mr Fothergill’s was founded over 40 years ago and now supplies to 3000 garden centres, shops and retail outlets and through mail order direct to the end user.
