Written by Emily Laughton-Hulatt | 30th January 2024

Sustainable Insulated Packaging for Food: Smurfit Kappa Beacon's Success Story with Borough Broth

Borough Broth is a London-based, award-winning producer of organic, slow-cooked, and impeccably seasoned bone broths. The business champions sustainability, crafting their broths from ingredients sourced exclusively from Soil Association Organic farms across the UK.

Their commitment to British organic suppliers reflects a profound dedication to high animal welfare standards, wildlife preservation, and combating climate change. This dedication to sustainability isn't just a choice; it's their essence, creating flavours that nourish while respecting the planet.

Borough Broth turned to Smurfit Kappa as they were experiencing a series of packaging challenges. Despite supplying premium bone broths to renowned brands such as Waitrose, Holland & Barrett, and Ocado, their products were initially packaged in nondescript boxes lacking distinctive branding.

The use of sheep’s wool insulation in their boxes to maintain the broths’ temperature raised concerns about the packaging’s environmental impact. Additionally, issues with efficiency arose as their existing packaging occupied excessive warehouse space and, didn’t align with the brand's commitment to delivering high-quality products in the most sustainable way possible.

The talented team at Smurfit Kappa Beacon (packaging supplier in Aldershot) was able to provide Borough Broth with a sustainable thermal packaging solution that not only eliminated the need for wool insulation but also offered valuable branding opportunities.

Moreover, this innovative packaging solution freed up precious space in the Borough Broth warehouse, helping to streamline operations and reinforce their dedication to the environment.

Beyond better packaging

Borough Broth's previous packaging, characterised by plain boxes containing wool insulation, presented several challenges. Firstly, the lack of distinctive branding on their packaging failed to represent the stand-out brand and showcase the premium quality of the products inside. The use of wool insulation, while effective, wasn't the most sustainable choice when compared to corrugated cardboard alternatives that could still hold products at the desired temperatures during transit.

The previous packaging also occupied a significant amount of warehouse space and proved to be less efficient for both packing and shipping due to the use of the wool insulation and the number of components used to package their products.

Clever thinking and creative solutions

Our packaging experts identified the pressing need to keep Borough Broth’s precious products at the correct temperature throughout transit. With Smurfit Kappa Beacon’s innovative insulated packaging solution, the customer was able to distribute their products regionally and nationally via DPD, ensuring quality preservation by maintaining temperatures between 5-8°C upon delivery.

 

There was also the need to optimise precious warehouse space for the customer. The Beacon design team played a pivotal role in crafting an economical variant of insulated packaging. This creative solution employed thinner materials and fewer components, all while upholding exceptional thermal performance throughout the supply chain, resulting in significant space and cost savings.

What adds a remarkable dimension to this case is the transition from a single standard cardboard food box to two custom solutions – 0216 style and 0711 style - each offering four distinctive prints. Moving away from plain cases to printed cases, has enabled Borough Broth to notably amplify their brand awareness.

Wider impact of packaging

The adoption of corrugated thermal packaging allowed Borough Broth to remove the need for wool insulation which enabled ease of construction, helped to reduce costs, and ensured the end user could dispose of the packaging easily through curbside recycling. Borough Broth's progress was nothing short of remarkable, with a yearly growth rate of over 100%, marked by new listings, media attention, and surging order numbers.

Additionally, this transition effectively addressed customer concerns regarding recyclability, especially in terms of replacing sheep's wool insulation in the packaging.

 

Borough Broth didn't just find satisfaction; they were thrilled with the invaluable support they received from Smurfit Kappa Beacon throughout this journey. This partnership stands as a testament to the transformative potential of innovative packaging solutions in enhancing a brand's identity, driving sales, and contributing to sustainability objectives.

“We’re absolutely delighted, the support of Smurfit Kappa has been immeasurable on this journey” - Rick Stratman, General Manager at Borough Broth.

Marc Holland, Business Development Manager at Smurfit Kappa Beacon reflects “Tapping into creative ideas from our talented Design Team, shaping these and coming up with new ones is key to product development and manufacturing innovations that will provide our customers with choice, quality, and value. This creative thinking is crucial for our future success.”

A game-changing solution

The ground-breaking thermal packaging solution marked a pivotal moment for Borough Broth, reshaping their trajectory. In tackling initial packaging hurdles and presenting a more effective, eco-friendly, and branded alternative, Smurfit Kappa not only contributed to Borough Broth's growth but also elevated customer satisfaction.

Borough Broth's experience serves as a powerful illustration of the significance of innovative packaging within the food industry and the profound impact that a strategic partnership can have in achieving outstanding results within a competitive market.

If you're in search of insulated packaging solutions that can revolutionise your business, get in touch today.

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