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Daisy Brand:
Squeeze Sour Cream

PROJECT

CLIENT

Daisy Brand

SERVICE

  • Strategy

INDUSTRY

  • Consumer

Daisy partnered with Continuum to innovate new packaging for a classic product.

Challenge

Sour cream is a staple in kitchens across America for more reason than one. Not only a common recipe ingredient for cooking and baking, sour cream is also used as a topping on feel-good family dishes like chili and tacos. But, as any taco aficionado can attest, dolloping sour cream into a narrow shell is awkward at best. And as the tub makes its way around the table, bits of cheese or beans from the serving spoon can sneak their way into the container, leaving behind unwanted leftovers in the once-pure sour cream.

Despite its varied uses, Daisy Sour Cream has historically come in only one package—the familiar white plastic tub.

Knowing that more than half of all sour cream is consumed as a topping, and recognizing the consumer pain points associated with the traditional tub, Daisy Brand set out to change the way we dollop.

The leading dairy manufacturer partnered with Continuum to design a squeezable container that met consumers’ needs and expectations and did not compromise the quality and consistency for which the brand is known.

    Awards

    • Edison Award—Bronze

    • Progressive Grocer

    • Dupont Award

    • Flexible Packaging Association—Gold Achievement

    • IDEA Finalist

    • World Dairy Innovation Award—Best Dairy Packaging Innovation

    • Brand Packaging 2016 Gallery Award—Flexible Packaging

    RESEARCH & INSIGHTS

    Not Just Practical, but People-Centered

    The team began by visiting families in their homes, and sitting down with them at taco dinners to observe real customer interactions and gauge their expectations. More than a free meal, this research method proved highly effective in getting authentic feedback about what mattered most to Daisy’s consumers.

    RESEARCH & INSIGHTS

    Dispensing the Difference

    Because consumers use sour cream as a topping and a recipe ingredient, they need to be able to portion it out both carefully and quickly, in amounts large and small. Interviewees noted that precise measurement was especially important for baking, while aim and control mattered more for taco nights. The team experimented with a range of materials for a container and cap that could dispense sour cream in differing amounts with both ease and control.

    RESEARCH & INSIGHTS

    A Sustainable Squeeze

    Eliminating food waste was a key design consideration. One material proved surprisingly sustainable due to its malleability: Foil. People can easily tell how much product is left inside a foil container. They can manipulate a foil pouch to ensure they’ve used its full contents. And because consumers are dispensing the sour cream through a flexible valve, rather than spooning it from a tub, there’s no longer a risk of cross-contamination with other foods. When people can gauge the contents of a foil package and know its contents are not contaminated, they are far less likely to waste the product.

    RESEARCH & INSIGHTS

    Finding a Whey

    Cultured dairy products naturally separate over time, forming a thin layer of liquid called whey. We knew Daisy consumers didn’t want to squeeze whey onto their chili, but they also expected nothing less than the same thick, natural sour cream they’d always known. This meant designing a container that minimized whey—without changing the sour cream inside. To accomplish this, the team created a package and valve that prevented the creation of air pockets where the liquid layer would form. The team also found new manufacturing partners who could fill the inverted containers from the top—a production process different from that of similar food pouches, but critical to preventing whey formation.

    01 / 04

    Solution

    After testing hundreds of squeezable prototypes with consumers, our team worked collaboratively with the client and key manufacturers to bring the first inverted foil pouch in the dairy food category to market in 2015. Daisy’s Squeeze pouch provides a massive leap in functionality and convenience, while keeping retail price competitive with existing tub products.

    But what’s the best thing about the Daisy Squeeze? The sour cream inside is exactly the same. Flexible and fun to use, the Daisy Squeeze balances the legacy of a great product with a commitment to modern consumer needs.

    Results

    Daisy Squeeze Sour Cream began making its way into dairy aisles across the U.S. in the spring of 2015, and is now available at at most major grocery retailers including Stop & Shop, Wegmans, and Walmart.

    In the short time it has been on the market, Daisy Squeeze ranks among the top 10 sour cream items in sales. In a recent customer survey, 60% of Daisy Squeeze users said they would recommend the product to a friend—20% more than the average. As for the devoted Daisy consumers so eager for sour cream they can squeeze, a scan of Daisy Brand's Facebook page indicates that fans are thrilled with the company’s response to their collective request for a squeezable sour cream.

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