As stevia sweeteners hit the mainstream, one of the category’s first packaged products, StweetLeaf Stevia® from Wisdom Natural Brands™, has undergone a package redesign to capitalize on the product’s all-natural advantages, conveying “green” both through its color and its messaging.
SweetLeaf is the only 100%-natural, zero-calorie, zero-carbohydrate, zero-alcohol, zero-chemical, and zero glycemic-index stevia sweetener available. Wisdom Natural Brands founder and president Jim May—referred to by some in the U.S. as the “Father of Stevia” and the first winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from Stevia World International—was among the first to recognize the potential for the sweet herb, native to Paraguay, as an alternative to sugar and synthetic sweeteners. May’s pioneering process for stevia extraction and purification requires no chemicals, solvents, or alcohols; only cool, purified water is used.
To help Wisdom Natural Brands convey these core messages, the company worked with Synergy, Inc. on a new carton design and graphics. “We wanted the new box to embody everything that our product stands for while displaying its wide array of uses, and of course, be eye-catching,” says May.
Literally “embodying” the company’s environmental commitment, the carton is made from 100% recycled paperboard (as was its predecessor) and is offset-printed with vegetable-based, eco-friendly inks. The carton is converted by Rosmar Packaging Corp., which was chosen “because they have a history of focusing on preserving the environment and other sustainability issues with all their products,” May explains.
Central imagery on the carton emphasizes the many ways the sweetener can be used in cooking, baking, and beverages, through tasty food and beverage pictures. May adds that the new design also has “easier-to-read text and brilliant colors for a more eye-catching look.”
Replacing 50- and 100-sachet boxes with cartons holding 35 and 70 stevia packets, Wisdom Natural Brands also reduced the physical footprint of its two package sizes. “This reduced the cost of our cartons by 25 percent for the 70 count and 30 percent for the 35 count,” May explains.
The new packaging was launched in organic and natural food stores, as well as in grocery stores across the country, in August. The 35-count box is priced at $4.99, while the 70-count is $8.99.
