The smallish, designer, bottom and side gusseted, heavy card stock bag is a distinguished, full-color print to match the color scheme of the product inside. From the flat bottom, the shape tapers inward toward the opening, which features a die cut handle and ribbon closure. Inside the bag is a box surrounded by clear shrink wrap.
After tearing off the shrink film (don’t they make thin films so strong and puncture-resistant these days? Amazing!), I couldn’t find the entrance point to this box. Like the bag, the box is beautiful. It’s made of paperboard with a designer liner on the inner wall and grain-embossed liner on the outer wall. The Jean Phillippe Patisserie company logo is embossed in copper ink on a raised background on one outside panel.
In my quest to get at what I knew were chocolate truffles, I tried pushing one side wall through to see if it was an inner tray inside a liner top. That didn’t work, but I did notice a flap coming off the top panel. It snap-released back and I realized it’s a magnetic closure. The magnet was inserted inside the flap that adhered to one of the side panels as the closure. Two flaps fold out and inside is the treasure: two trays of chocolates - six in each tray. Delicious.
It’s difficult to judge whether these expensive chocolates taste better than others I’ve enjoyed in lesser packaging; I love chocolate regardless of its surroundings. For sure, while I was discovering this bag and box, it felt like special; like an adventure into elegance. Of course, that is the intention of the Jean Phillippe Patisserie - to allow for an appreciative moment for quality, care, taste, refinement, and creativity. This unique packaging did that for me.
That moment, and those short-lived tasty chocolates, were a nice gift from Elaine and reminded me that attractive, innovative packaging is a great adjunct to marketing and advertising, as well as providing high-quality protection for the product inside.