A well-rounded Advent
"Can you produce round boxes?" It's a question we usually answer with some hesitation. Round boxes involve a lot of manual labour and present a significant design and construction challenge. (Be patient - we're working on something that will change this soon!) But Swedish Match was persistent when they approached us with a specific request: "We need a large round box for 24 cans of ZYN nicotine pouches. Can you do it?" How could we say no? And so the unique advent calendar project was born - and thus a great challenge for our production team.
When it comes to marketing, tobacco companies today face extensive regulations with strict limitations. That's why they invest energy and money in original marketing projects designed to captivate the recipient. Packaging plays a key role in this, transforming an ordinary product into an experience and elevating it to something extraordinary. At Hässlers, we have a long history of producing just this kind of packaging.
The brief from Swedish match was ambitious and extensive: 24 boxes arranged in a circle, housed in a large round box with an impressive diameter of 40cm. The challenge was further complicated by their desire to construct everything out of paper, cardboard and cardboard. That's where our brilliant designer Robert Wikman came in! A true professional, Robert came up with an original solution: instead of relying on standard tubes that often form the basis of such productions (and which were not feasible due to time and production constraints), Robert created a system of punched paper units combined with a unique assembly method.
What is unique about the solution? Robert designed a package where the walls of the box curve seamlessly into a circle, supported by a doubled circle of cardboard that maintains the shape. The box itself consists of two parts - a lid and a box. Inside the box, the 24 compartments for the 7 cm wide cans were a meticulous engineering feat. Robert designed a radial system of interlocking disc pieces that require no glue. Each piece was aligned with millimetre precision to create a robust yet elegant design. A top layer on the interior with perforated tear-off windows completed the design and added a playful advent calendar element. Unsurprisingly, this box (and Robert) became a favourite of our production team when the prototype saw the light of day.
However, none of us could quite foresee how demanding it would be to manually produce thousands of these intricate packages. To make matters even more challenging, the deadline was incredibly tight. But at the same time, it made us learn a lot and develop new techniques. Each finished calendar then stood as proof that even the seemingly impossible becomes feasible with creativity, craftsmanship and teamwork. The icing on the cake? The brilliant feedback from the customer! When a colleague visited the Swedish Match store in Gothenburg last month and asked about the upcoming Advent calendar, they sincerely said: "Wow, we have seen the presentations. It's going to be amazing!"
We look forward to what you come up with for us next, whether it's square boxes, round boxes or something completely out of the ordinary. What really matters is having a product with a story that you want to bring to life in a creative way through unique packaging. At Hässlers, we are ready. Are you?