Packaging Solutions
Laylo co-founders Laura Riches and Laura Rosenberger explain why they gave up their jobs to de-stigmatise wine boxes, make boxed wine cool again, and turn them into something you can proudly display.
For most people, boxed wine is a nostalgic relic of the 1980s, evoking memories of cheap plonk sipped from plastic cups at raucous student parties.
What is it about drinking boxed wine rather than bottled that causes people to turn their noses up? Is it a perception based purely on a misconception that bottled wine is somehow higher quality simply because of its packaging? And are people beginning to change their tune on boxed wine?
Whether it is sommeliers appropriately and consistently explaining the merits of boxed wine to guests or even that there remains some debate and judgment on bottles that have a screw cap instead of a cork – both are a sign that many people's perceptions of wine are firmly held and in need of an update.
Thanks to technological advances and a cultural shift towards quality over quantity, boxed wine is making a stylish comeback. Gone are the days when boxed wine was the budget option, unsuitable for sophisticated gatherings. Today, boxed wine is synonymous with smart, sustainable luxury. This revival is more than a trend; it is a movement here to stay, proving that great wine doesn't have to come in a bottle.
When Laura Riches and Laura Rosenberger launched Laylo in July 2020 amidst the pandemic, they aimed to turn the concept of boxed wine on its head. A few years ago, ‘luxury boxed wine’ might have sounded like an oxymoron, but thanks to shifting attitudes and innovative packaging, it is now a celebrated reality. Their vision was to create a product you would proudly place at the centre of a dinner table, not tucked away as an afterthought.
‘My background has been in wine for many years,’ said Laura Riches.’I love the product as a consumer and because I think it is a fascinating category. One of the problems is that people are increasingly drinking less. They are also drinking better. I was interested in this idea, and you become very interested in it when you work in the drinks sector, which is a big existential problem.
‘I had been looking at things like cans, pouches, and single serve mini bottles and was surprised to learn that boxed wine stays fresh for six weeks. So, it means you can have the odd glass; you don't need to commit to a bottle, and the quality of wine you can put in a box is not limited. I used to think boxed wine needed to be cheap plonk, and that used to be the case, but now the packaging is sufficiently airtight that you can put great wines in a box, and they don't oxidise. It was exciting for me. I had this thought during the pandemic, and at the time, I had a little bit more time on my hands and was questioning how we live and how we work and thought, ‘If I don't see what happens, then I never will’. So, in November 2020, my co-founder Laura and I bought 2000 litres of Rioja and shipped it to the country.’
Laura Riches is the former marketing director at Naked Wines and CMO at 31Dover, an online retailer of fine wine and spirits. She started her career in management consultancy at Javelin Group, now part of Accenture Strategy, before building the professional services team at VC backed tech start up Qubit.
Her co-founder, Laura Rosenberger, joined UBS Investment Bank after graduating. As an analyst covering the leisure and hospitality sector, she researched the impact of an emerging US travel start up, Airbnb, on traditional listed hotel groups despite owning no rooms. The start up seed was sown, and Laura Rosenberger left to join Onefinestay, a high end homestay start up, as a financial analyst.
‘You must jump through many hoops to start a business,’ she continued. ‘So, we registered the name on Companies House and put up a Shopify, but we didn't have that much of a plan. It was very much a case of let us see what happens, and at first, it was bought by friends and family and people who maybe felt obliged to buy a box of wine.
‘Then it was friendship circles and the people we have worked with in the past or friends of friends, who shouldn't have felt obliged, but I was very pleased that they did. Then it took on a life of its own, and we sold out of 2000 litres of wine in 13 days. So, at that point, our idea, which was to create a premium boxed wine, the sort of wine you would love to drink on a Tuesday night and have the odd glass that looked beautiful and tasted amazing, became a reality. And here we are, nearly four years later.’
Boxed wine has long suffered from a reputation tarnished by its lower price point and portable packaging, often seen as the poor cousin to its bottled counterpart. But this outdated image is vigorously challenged by a new generation of vintners embracing the cardboard clad variety. Savvy winemakers are proving that quality wine can come in a box and are making a strong case for it.
‘Glass bottles will always play a really important role in wine because they are the only way to age a wine, and for really fancy high end wine that will always be important,’ Laura continued. ‘So, I don't imagine there is a world where there are no more glass bottles. However, glass bottles are a format that hasn't changed for 200 years.
‘They are not necessarily the most space efficient packaging format, so for me, it was less about asking or suggesting a switch from glass bottles to boxes but more of an idea that glass bottles no longer serve us as consumers. They oxidise the wine quickly, and you have a bottle in your fridge door. So, I think it was just questioning whether a format that hadn't evolved in 200 years could be done better. Interestingly, boxed wine in the UK represents a tiny portion of the market. It was only 2% of the UK wine market at the time, but it is way more internationally. In France, 44% of supermarket wine is sold in a box. In Sweden, that number is north of 60%. I guess there were hints that this was how the market was heading, particularly internationally, and it does seem like a smarter way to drink.’
Navigating the complexities of packaging can be a make or break aspect of any burgeoning business. Now, as they scale and the annual packaging spend grows, the foresight of Smurfit Kappa and DS Smith to invest in the vision has cemented lasting partnerships.
‘For our packaging, our primary supplier is Smurfit Kappa, and then we work with DS Smith on our outer packaging,’ Laura Riches continued. ‘And I think that the common thing that unites those two is that in the early days, they were willing to drop their minimum order quantity because they believed in us, and they believed in the vision that we had for the company and even at a point where we bought just 2000 litres. It is interesting that they are big companies and were willing to make that choice when many smaller scale businesses could have grown with us. We are now on a decent scale, and it would be quite a big contract – we spend a lot of money on packaging annually. I think it is a bit of a shame that some of the smaller ones didn't take us. When we were initially scanning the market, they perhaps didn't take the opportunity to support the underdog.’
At the heart of Laylo's approach lies a simple yet profound question: why waste potential? Traditional wine labels offer a mere fraction of the storytelling canvas through box packaging. With five sides to work with, Laura Riches saw an opportunity to contain wine and convey its essence. Through Gaudi inspired prints and chic florals, they have arrived at something you would be proud to put on the dinner table.
Laura, who will deliver her session titled ‘Thinking ‘Inside The Box’: Premium boxed wine for wine snobs’ between 3:15 pm and 3:45 pm on Wednesday, September 11, at London Packaging Week, says the design philosophy revolves around capturing the spirit of each wine through patterns, aesthetics, and a sense of place.
‘We have five faces versus a tiny little space that you get on a wine label,’ she said. ‘Our starting point was, why do nothing with that space, saying nothing when you can communicate something about the wine inside? We do that through design and trying to find patterns, aesthetics and a sense of a place through design, so our Italian wines feature a Murano glass or a Missoni print. I think that is the sort of innovation I am interested in and helping people to regulate better – although that sounds unsexy – but one of the reasons why people love our white wine is because they want to have the odd glass. On the flip side, you have got three bottles, and you know it is all too easy to go and press the tap again. So, I think this is an area I am excited to explore more – how can we help people understand their drinking amount?’
‘I think what made our business stand out was that we didn't conform to how other products look,’ Laura Riches added. ‘We have created a unique product with a unique visual identity through design. Undoubtedly, the quality of the wine inside must be great, but if you ask most people who have heard of Laylo what they know about us, within the first sentence, they would say they look beautiful. And that has been key. The flip side is that we have achieved that while also going for things off the shelf where possible. We have a standard box size and use standard internal bags. That was important upfront because it allowed us to do minimum order runs and meant that it wasn't prohibitively expensive. So, if I bring those two things together, it is thinking creatively about taking off the shelf options but giving them your own language and visual identity.’
Laura Riches will speak on ‘Thinking ‘Inside The Box’: Premium boxed wine for wine snobs’ between 3:15 pm and 3:45 pm on Wednesday, September 11, at London Packaging Week.
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