Jam jar flower pots: Garten Freund boosts reusability with seed bag hang tags

11 May 2020 --- German jam brand Garten Freund by Schwartau welcomes the spring season with a new special edition packaging design, depicting regional fruit, flowers and butterflies, created by design agency Hajok. Containing a packet of flower seeds on its exterior, the jam jars can be reused as small flower pots. Amid Germany’s ongoing lockdown restrictions, the label’s design makes “everyday life a little bit more beautiful” while creating a sense of purchasing urgency through limited edition branding.

“The new promotion serves to create special buying impulses and introduce new customers to the brand. Of course, it should also help to bind existing customers to the brand. In this case, we were given the topic ‘Urban Gardening’ and the result is a very aesthetic design,” Jannika Plaas, Design Director, Design Development, Hajok, tells PackagingInsights.

The three jams arrive in cherry, strawberry and currant, and mirabelle flavors under this year’s “Urban Gardening” theme, which focalizes the jam’s regionality, nature and authenticity. The name Gartenfreund, German for garden friend or enthusiast, stands for “the naturalness of the jams and the joy of your own garden or balcony.”

Garten Freund’s launch plays into Innova Market Insights’ “Storytelling: Winning with Words,” its number one trend for 2020. The market researcher underscores a growing consumer affinity for products backed by a compelling narrative.

“The traditional fruit and flower illustrations are reminiscent of drawings from old botanical books. We opted for a very traditional illustration style combined with a clear and modern typography, which forms an aesthetic link between past and present,” Plaas explains.

Seed bag hang tag
In addition to the topic of naturalness, every Gartenfreund glass includes a seed bag that matches the packaging design, which is tied to the jar as a hang tag. “With the bag full of sunflower seeds, Schwartau makes a contribution to nature and at the same time plays the trendy topic of urban gardening after enjoying the jams. This is a beautiful and above all sustainable action that fits today’s lifestyle,” says Verena Langen, Senior Consultant at Hajok, also tells PackagingInsights.

Plaas further identifies this move as ”an ideal gift,” especially in the springtime, when people escape to the outdoors to refurbish their balconies or smarten up their gardens. “Many customers are already waiting for the limited editions, as they are always designed with great attention to detail and a great eye-catcher on every kitchen table,” adds Langen.

By Anni Schleicher