Tyler Packaging Provides Ultra-Premium Pet Food Packaging Solution

A specialist supplier of flexible packaging has delivered on its directive to produce a packaging solution for the launch of a brand of ultra-premium pet food that matched the product’s high quality standard and provided the correct level of luxury appeal.

Tyler Packaging, which supplies flexible packaging to a range of industries, including human food, fitness supplements, garden products and the pet food industry, was tasked by newly launched ultra-premium pet food brand AATU, with producing packaging that suitably conveyed the high quality of the product, whilst giving the necessary appeal to its high-end target market.

Adam Kay, Sales and Technical Director at Tyler Packaging, said, “AATU is at the highest end of the scale when it comes to ultra-premium pet foods. We were tasked with developing and producing packaging that provided the optimum level of shelf appeal, whilst demonstrating the high end nature of the product to any prospective buyers.”

Pet Food UK Ltd, the pet food provider behind the AATU brand, has developed an offering that targets health conscious consumers who are as keen to look after the health and wellbeing of their pets, as they are their own.

The pet food product is made up of high quality, premium content, which contains ingredients in the 80:20 ratio, where 80% is meat and the remaining 20% is a mixture of fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices and botanicals. AATU provides a unique offering in the fact that its meat element is made up of a single protein, rather than a mixture of meats

Paul Hunter of Pet Food UK said, “Quite simply, the higher the meat content, the better the quality. We see AATU as the premium luxury brand when it comes to pet food. We’re the equivalent of Rolls Royce or Bentley, the Tiffany and Co of the pet food market. The current pinnacle of the market is ultra premium. We believe that we’ve gone beyond that and we needed the necessary packaging to reflect this step up in quality on the shelf.”

Following a conceptual period, which involved considerable input from both sides to determine the necessary specifications and requirements, Tyler Packaging was asked to develop a 1.5kg bag, a 5kg bag and a 10kg bag. The resulting designs saw a range of packaging technologies incorporated to suit the different requirements for each weight. 

Paul Hunter said, “The experience and astuteness of the team at Tyler really came to light during the AATU conceptual process. The key was in the finer details. For example, they advised us to utilise as high a resolution an image as possible on the bags, promising us that it would make a huge difference to the overall appearance. They also advised on how we could manipulate different matt and gloss finishes to add depth and shine to convey that sense of quality.”

The first prototypes of the bags were due to be finished at the same time that Pet Food UK was set to exhibit at Interzoo in Nuremberg, the world’s largest pet supplies industry trade fair. Tyler arranged for the prototypes to be delivered direct to the stand, and they duly arrived the night before the exhibition began. 

Paul said, “This was the first opportunity for us to see the finished prototypes and, being a perfectionist, I expected to be at least slightly disappointed in the result. But when I saw the prototypes, to say they were spot on would be understating the effect. If anything, they were better than how I had imagined them to be. The effect was absolutely outstanding.”

Since then Tyler Packaging and Pet Food UK have worked together to prepare the products and packaging for its official launch at PATS 2014, the Pet and Aquatic Trade Show, which is held on the 14th and 15th September 2014.

Paul concluded, “We really couldn’t be more pleased with the result. The whole process for us has been very smooth, from conception to production; the service from Tyler has been superb. Now it’s a case of getting everything set for the launch – something we’re eagerly anticipating as we can’t wait to show off what we’ve worked so hard to produce.”