Michelin starred chef chooses Newton Print to produce at home meal packaging

A WELL-KNOWN television chef has chosen a Devon printed packaging specialist to help produce the outer boxes and sleeves for his range of meals for people to enjoy at home (August 2022).

Aktar Islam, owner of Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, Opheem, chose Newton Abbot-based Newton Print Ltd to design and create packaging for his Aktar @ Home range of meals, launched during the pandemic.

He said: “During the first lockdown when restaurants were closed, I took it upon myself to create a range of meals people could enjoy at home. The Aktar @ Home range was born and the meals I created are built on traditional Indian home cooking, using traditional Indian processes and home cooking methods.

“After creating the dishes, I needed something to package them in, and I was looking for something professional and high quality to complement the delicious food inside, so turned to Newton Print.”

Newton Print designed the sleeves and boxes that the Aktar @ Home meals are now packaged in. They advised on the packing formats, materials and finishes to give Aktar the look and feel he wanted, while still delivering his meals safely.

Simon Besley, Sales and Marketing Director at Newton Print in Newton Abbot, which specialises in assisting food and drink producers to bring their products to market on time, said: “The packaging for Aktar @ Home included the outer boxes and the sleeves. Our team designed the sleeves so that they made a set of four, meaning that when clients opened the boxes, they were greeted with a stunning set of meals.

“We specified a high-class gold foil for the logo and a range of colours using the Pantone system for maximum consistency and visual effect. It was important to Aktar that the packaging should not only look good, but also be very intuitive for his packing team. We helped him develop a colour-coded system, which achieved this very well.

“Since the launch of his Aktar @ Home range in early 2021, we’ve helped to refine the packaging to make sure it’s meeting his criteria. Recently, we’ve made some changes to make it even easier for his packing team to select the right sleeve for each dish, and to make it more flexible too.

“The packaging really does speak for itself – check out his reviews on his website and you will see lots of happy customers mentioning the fantastic packaging, or why not order one of his meals so that you can see how good it looks!”

Founded in 1983, Newton Print is an approachable, friendly, forward-thinking and carbon-balanced printed packaging firm that provides a collaborative approach to client partnerships based on traditional customer relationships, married with pioneering, innovative ideas, to create successful and sustainable results.

Benefiting from its own on-site production and inhouse creative expertise, Newton Print is a packaging mentor perfectly suited to SMEs and challenger brands in the food industry. It aims to help demystify and simplify the ordering of printed packaging to allow food producers to develop, succeed and grow.

It provides print runs of anything from 1,000-300,000 with a focus on beautiful, luxury, sustainable printed food packaging, specialising in food sleeves. Its efficient and modern production facilities enable it to provide fast turnaround print-runs without the need for hefty origination and plate charges. Shorter delivery times and a low minimum order are ideally suited to the fast-changing nature of today’s production environment, meaning food manufacturers can hold less stock and still benefit from cost-effective unit prices.

The hard-working, skilled team ensures its clients receive top-quality workmanship and ultra-fast delivery.

Ninety-seven per cent of its customers rate Newton Print with five stars on the independent review site Feefo for speed and exceeding expectations, while 98% have rated the team’s friendliness as five-star too. Feefo has also awarded the company with a prestigious Platinum Trusted Service accreditation for five years in a row.

To find out more about Newton Print Ltd, please visit https://www.newtonprint.co.uk or call 01626 368986.