CARDBOX Packaging, multinational producer of high-quality cartonboard in the luxury and brand-name goods segment, received the “ECMA Award 2016” in the “Beverages” category at the Pro Carton Gala in Nice. The packaging specialist was able to win over the jury with its premium carton packaging for the “XO” brandy produced by the Polz winery in South Tyrol.

 “We are delighted to have been able to win the ECMA award, which is one of the most important European packaging prizes,” said Klaus Hockl, managing director of CARDBOX Packaging Holding GmbH. The awards for outstanding carton packaging are presented each year by the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard manufacturers, Pro Carton, in ten categories.      

With its simple but elegant carton case for the 0.5 litre bottle for the “XO” brandy produced by the Polz family-run winery in Spielfeld in South Tyrol, CARDBOX Packaging was able to triumph in the “Beverages” category.        

The packaging appears “elegant, chic and luxurious thanks to its discreet use of gold” and the two-part design “supports this elegance with its book-like appearance and also offers appropriate protection for the bottle without excess packaging,” said the expert jury, explaining why the award had been given. 

Winning packaging from Pinkafeld

The packaging for the Polz brandy XO was designed in the CARDBOX Packaging development centre at Pinkafeld in Burgenland, and was brought to market in only three months.   

A two-part carton design was developed for the special shape of the brandy bottle - a box part with a cover closure and an insert held in place by the pressed-down flaps. The basic materials are supplied by the Scandinavian carton specialists Stora Enso while the advertising agency Brokat handled the graphic design.   

“The combination of black and gold with the brown natural fibers on the inner side creates a premium appearance that blends perfectly with the high-quality product and the natural colour of the brandy,” says Hockl, explaining: “We worked with soft-touch lacquer and glossy dispersion varnish for the design and haptics of the case. The transparent inscription is easily visible under incident light.   

These small details often make the subtle difference - the jury also appreciated this, as we can see.” The packaging for the Polz XO brandy and all other winners will be presented on 27 to 29 September 2016 at the FachPack trade fair in Nuremberg at the Pro Carton/FFI stand 351 in hall 5.