Aldi’s Next Big Thing winner picks Newton Print for its packaging
A DEVON-BASED printed packaging specialist recently helped produce packaging for a British charcuterie company that went on to win a televised pitch to supply a national supermarket with its product (November 2022).
Newton Print was approached by The Greek Farmer and asked to help refresh the packaging for its meats, which were entered into Channel 4’s recent ‘Aldi’s Next Big Thing’ programme.
Tony Charalambides, Co-founder and owner of The Greek Farmer, said: “I had already worked with Newton Print in the past on packaging for our charcuterie products, however in February, 2022, I entered a Channel 4 television series to pitch and potentially win a contract to supply nationwide supermarket, Aldi.
“I joined bakers, condiment makers, chocolatiers, dairy and alcohol producers, and everything in between, in a visit to the supermarket’s headquarters. Once there, I pitched my Greek-style charcuterie to an expert judging panel and was whittled down to eventually make the finals.
“I was set a task by the Buying MD at Aldi UK, Julie Ashfield, to really shout about British provenance on the front of a mixed packed of cured meat and, straightaway, I was on the phone to the team at Newton Print. I needed a complete re-design and change from header cards to wallets, to make my product ready for retail on the big stage.
“Simon and the team at Newton Print’s customer service was second to none, continually offering guidance on the best way to produce the wallets at the most efficient cost, providing numerous samples to ensure they were right and meeting our tight deadlines. I couldn’t recommend them highly enough.”
In 2019, Tony began his journey with no prior knowledge of smoking meat, or even charcuterie, when he and his family moved to a farm. With help from industry peers, lots of research, travels to his father’s native country, Cyprus, and huge determination, he began the process of converting disused areas of the farm into a fully-fledged production facility.
Newton Print in Newton Abbot was able to work with Tony to design and produce prototypes for him ready for the programme final’s day in a very short space of time. Tony’s product was named the winner of his episode and he was awarded a contract to supply Aldi’s 970 stores across the UK.
Simon Besley, Sales and Marketing Director at Newton Print, which specialises in assisting food and drink producers to bring their products to market on time, said: “After Tony’s success, we refined the packaging with him, making sure it would stand out on Aldi’s shelves as well as being cost-efficient.
“We developed a range of options for him to choose from and then helped him to refine the shape and size of the wallet to reduce the unit costs and help maintain margin. Suggestions from our team included shifting the opening flap to the side rather than the top, making it easier for his packing team to place the product inside the wallet but also to reduce production costs, as it was more efficient for us to produce that way.”
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 retail 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.
