Sonoco FRESH is pleased to provide the 2022 Summit attendees with a gift box that demonstrates Clemson’s unique capabilities when it comes to sustainable packaging design and our approach to educating the next generation of packaging experts.
The “Surprises for the Summit” gift box was designed by a team of Graphic Communications and Packaging Science students. The package design has a unique opening feature with a locking tab at the bottom of the box. When opened, the box has a deep window displaying pecan brittle and Starbucks coffee. The graphics match the Sonoco FRESH branding with the logo sweeping across the front and sides of the box. Embedded in the print is a Digimarc digital watermark that when scanned brings you to this webpage.
What’s in the Box?
Holmes Sweet Home Pecan Brittle
Holmes Sweet Home’s Cinnamon Sugar Pecan Brittle is crafted with organic Georgia Pecans, Ceylon Cinnamon and sea salt harvested from Charleston, South Carolina. Imagine your favorite pecan sticky bun or maybe an authentic Louisiana praline! Those are the flavors that come to mind when we take a bite of this yummy brittle! Enjoy as a snack, crumble on salads and sweet potatoes or add to your favorite baked treat!
The package included in your gift box is a high-barrier compostable pouch produced with help from Printpack. Printpack’s compostable barrier material uses all pre-certified compostable materials, including the films, inks, and adhesives. The pre-certified metallized layer allows for low oxygen/water transmission rates to maintain product freshness and to meet shelf-life requirements. The compostable sealant layer ensures excellent seal integrity that customers would expect when using traditional materials. Printpack has developed a portfolio of compostable packaging options to meet the needs of a wide variety of food packaging markets.
Starbucks® Coffee
The Starbucks® Digital Traceability tool transforms each bag of coffee beans into a digital passport, launching coffee lovers on a virtual expedition to meet farmers, roasters and baristas and to explore coffee-growing regions around the world. Explore the journey that your Starbucks® roasted coffee has taken and learn more about the people and the places that made it possible.
- Navigate to traceability.starbucks.com on your mobile device.
- Click the green “Trace Your Coffee” button.
- Find the code on the back of your bag with the “Best Before” date and center it in the viewfinder.
The Box Itself!
Digimarc illuminates a product’s journey to provide intelligence and promote a prosperous, safer, and more sustainable world. With Digimarc, you can finally see everything. And when you see everything, you can achieve anything.
Thank You to the Gift Box Sponsors
The Design & Production Process
The designers chose to run UV/LED ink on coated paperboard because this combination yielded pristine graphics while still resulting in a fully recyclable product. Additionally, LED curing reduces energy consumption on-press.
One of the most prominent features of the folding carton we printed was Digimarc’s technology. The design team applied a Digimarc enhancement to the light green solid (Pantone 583 C) all around the package. The enhancement was not noticeable to the naked eye and resulted in an easily scannable product.
The design team decided to run spot color inks instead of process (CMYK) to accurately reproduce the bold and vibrant colors of the institute’s brand palette.
Groups of Clemson student volunteers assembled and stuffed the gift boxes. The boxes were folded and sealed with hot glue.
Student Design Team
Sophie Owen
Clemson University Packaging Science, Senior
Sophie Owen is a senior Packaging Science major with an emphasis in Food and Healthcare Packaging and a minor in Sustainability. Upon graduating in December, she wishes to pursue a career in the food, beverage, or healthcare industry, but is open to any valuable opportunity!
Dovie Jeffcoat
Clemson University Graphic Communications, M.S.
Dovie Jeffcoat graduated with her master’s in Graphic Communications in May of 2022. Dovie is currently working for Sepire, a Chicago-based variable data printing and mailing company, where she is completing a leadership development program.
Eliza Basel
Clemson University Packaging Science, Senior
Eliza Basel is a senior Packaging Science major with an emphasis in graphics and design. She is currently completing her 6 month co-op as the E-Commerce/Sustainability Intern at Pregis. She is working towards a career in sustainability with a focus on the circular economy.
Maddie Risinger
Clemson University Packaging Science, Recent Graduate
Maddie Risinger recently graduated as a packaging science major with an emphasis in food and health care packaging. After graduation, she accepted a job as an Associate Packaging Engineer with SC Johnson & Son in Racine, Wisconsin.
Mackenzie Bitter
Clemson University Graphic Communications, Recent Graduate
Mackenzie Bitter recently graduated as a Graphics Communications major. She is looking into project management or color management.
FRESH Food, Packaging & Sustainability Summit 