VPK menu

Pet food packaging that performs


What does it take to create pet food packaging that performs in the real world?

Pug in wine box

The best packaging doesn't happen by chance.

It's the result of a structured, collaborative process that blends creativity, technical expertise, and a deep understanding of our customers' markets. That's why we developed our Eight-Step Solutions Cycle, a proven framework that takes a project from initial insight through to delivery, ensuring every decision is rooted in data, operational reality, and sustainability.

Each step of the cycle plays a critical role in creating packaging that performs in the real world. From uncovering market opportunities to perfecting the details that make a design efficient, functional, and brand-enhancing, the process is designed to keep projects on track and aligned with customer goals.

In Step 3 - Create - we transform insights from earlier stages into tangible, viable packaging solutions, bringing ideas to life while ensuring they meet the highest standards of functionality, sustainability, and brand integrity.

Turning a brief into a tangible design

Armed with a clear set of requirements, our design and technical teams move quickly from concept to reality. Creativity in this stage isn't just about producing something that looks good, it's about designing a solution that works with the customer's operations, supply chain, and sustainability ambitions.

For GRUB, this means developing structural designs capable of holding a variety of pack weights and formats, from light trial-size boxes to heavy multi-packs. The packs have to withstand the rigours of transit, stacking, and handling while still opening efficiently in-store. Using advanced CAD systems, we modelled and refined designs, ensuring they delivered on both function and brand presence.

Designing sustainability into the core

Product Carbon Footprint Calculator

Because sustainability is part of our DNA, we build it in from the start. 

Our Product Carbon Footprint calculator measures the impact of each option, factoring in everything from material sourcing to product manufacture (cradle to gate).

For GRUB, this means selecting a material combination that optimises overall requirements while maintaining performance, and crucially, improving cube utilisation for transport. Fewer pallets, fewer miles, and lower CO2 emissions, alongside a solution that still meets the brands premium visual and tactile quality standards, ensuring shelf appeal is never compromised.

Bringing the brand to life

Pet owners often buy with their eyes, and colour recognition plays a huge role in building trust and loyalty. Our in-house colour management team ensure GRUB's vibrant palette and distinctive branding would be replicated perfectly across all SKUs and substrates.

By engineering the artwork to complement the pack structure and running spectrophotometer tests, we achieved precise colour matching that stays consistent whether on a small single-pack tray or a large multi-pack case. This attention to detail helps create a cohesive brand presence across retail environments, reinforcing recognition, improving standout on shelf, and ultimately supporting repeat purchase behaviour.

From idea to production-ready solution

Step 3 is where ideas become production-ready packaging, the result is a suite of solutions that:

  • Works flawlessly on high-speed packing lines
  • Delivers strong shelf presence with easy-to-open, shelf ready formats
  • Optimises material use and transport emissions
  • Maintains perfect colour consistency across all formats

With the creative stage complete, we are ready to move into full production, confident that its packaging is sustainable, functional, and fully aligned with the brands vision.