Issue 05 – Butter
In the words of Julia Child, with enough butter, anything is good
Unbox Inbox is a weekly newsletter packed with packaging inspiration and observations
It’s butter week! (Said with the enthusiasm of Noel from GBBO). Does anyone not like butter? Alongside a good loaf of bread and flaky salt, it’s my favorite food. If you agree, and perhaps like this newsletter like you like butter and aren’t subscribed, it would mean a lot if you did (and like this post). And if you want to spread the love (ba dum chhh) and share it with someone else who would enjoy it, I’ll love you forever. Alright, self promotion over. Let’s go down the rabbit hole.
🧈 This is a long issue, so you may need to hit “expand” or read it in your browser 🧈
A Butter Deep Dive
I’ve never been loyal to butter brands. I don’t buy it based on packaging, I don’t even spring for grass-fed or whatever is “best” when I do. It usually comes down to what is cheapest, or whatever brand is top of mind because of a baking video I recently watched on YouTube. Going into this newsletter I thought there was going to be more room for improvement as far as packaging design goes, but what I stumbled upon below is quite inspiring (due in large part to European brands). Most of what you’ll see is butter from animals, but I sprinkled a few plant-based butters in there because I couldn’t resist.
1. Butter for the old soul who dreams of moving to the country
This is precisely the kind of packaging design I love most. It’s not trying too hard, and it’s simultaneously slightly trendy and pretty timeless. Nearly all of these are European brands, which might say something.
2. Butter for the person who knows it’s what’s on the inside that counts
I don’t mean to say that to discount what’s on the outside of these blocks of butter. I admire the simplicity of these materials and graphics, and how they feel natural and unprocessed. Even the way the butter is wrapped adds to that–it’s inherently imperfect and no two blocks are shaped exactly the same.
3. Butter for the person easily distracted by shiny objects
Or the person who knows that wrapping butter in foil helps prevent mysterious fridge odors from getting absorbed into your butter. The real hero here is the “bonbon” style wrapped mini butter logs. Can you stand it? And shoutout to that perfect can of Golden Churn Butter that can be stored for 18 months without refrigeration.
4. Butter for the person with a cluttered mind who wants their butter packaging on the tidy side
Read: a little bland. I swear all of these brands have blanded their packaging since I last bought or saw them: Kate’s Butter, Anchor, Vermont Creamery, Tillamook, and Clover. Maybe I’m a jaded designer but I’m tired of everything getting flatter and cleaner.
5. Butter for the person whose explore page is mostly cute animal videos
Ok maybe that’s a stretch, but these brands want to make sure you don’t forget that their butter comes from cows.
6. Butter for the person who can name 10 typefaces off the top of their head
Most of these have stuck with me since I first stumbled upon them prior to going down this butter rabbit hole. I even have a photo on my phone from two and a half years ago of ForA:Butter to prove it. But design aside, Monty’s Cloud Butter is the best plant-based butter I’ve found. If you can’t enjoy butter butter as much as you’d like for whatever reason, it’s the next best thing. Same goes for their Cloud Cheese if you miss cream cheese!
Chatterbox
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite parts about grocery shopping is seeing what the people in line alongside me have in their carts. It’s such a peek into a person’s world–their habits, values, maybe even the day they’re having (i.e. person alone buying multiple pints of ice cream). What we buy, and where we buy it, says a lot about us, and the voyeur in me wanted to bring some of that consumer behavior insight into this newsletter.
With that being said, I’d like to thank my first guest
for joining me here and answering some of my prying questions. Emily is an independent marketing consultant focusing on early-stage companies and foundational marketing strategies (hire her). She also writes Chips + Dips, an incredible newsletter living at the intersection of ecomm, tech, and branding. It’s one of my very favorites, and packed with insightful thoughts and news about brands she somehow always knows before the rest of us. You should subscribe.
What are 3-5 items that are always stocked in your home?
Zoe EVOO (in the tin), Once Again crunchy almond butter, Bob's Red Mill extra thick rolled oats, and at least three pounds of Rancho Gordo beans.
Why are you loyal to those brands or products?
While I keep an eye on trends, I don't usually chase or invest in them. I'm most loyal to simple staple products—the boring, high-quality, most-used stuff.
What was the last thing you bought because it stood out to you on the shelf?
I caved and tried Kolsvart gummies—they're fancy Swedish Fish that cost $7/bag. The grocery store I go to always has them by the checkout line. I don't know what came over me but I finally added a bag to my basket and they're very, very good.
What was the last thing you bought because someone you know recommended it?
"Scaling People" by Claire Hughes Johnson, which came out earlier this year from Stripe Press. Someone I admire on the internet (does that count as knowing them?) recommended it, Stripe Press had a pop-up recently, and I bought so many books they gave me a free tote bag.
What was the last thing you bought because of an algorithm?
A t-shirt by illustrator Emily Elizabeth Miller that says "This Is My Second Rodeo."
Favorite place to shop irl?
Coming Soon is a hotspot but always has interesting stuff. For food stuff, I love Kalustyan's—you can absolutely get lost in there.
Favorite place to shop online?
I really like efficiency. Once I find something I like, I'll buy multiples. It's not particularly exciting, but I love Zappos. I'll do a big shoe refresh every couple of years and Zappos is a one-stop shop.
A bonus answer because Zappos is admittedly very boring: I love digital window shopping Shop Boswell, Ali Golden, and Mr. Larkin! I've been looking for something to fill the gap left by Need Supply and they're the closest I've come...
Someone is visiting where you live for a day, what are 3 musts?
Walk around Greenwood Cemetery (sounds bleak, but I swear it's not); grab a drink at Brooklyn Inn; have dinner at Popina.
Thank you, Emily! And for the record everyone, Greenwood Cemetery really is a special place worth a visit when you’re in NYC. It’s my happy place.
Packing Peanuts
(Those loose leftover pieces at the bottom of the box)
This butter tube must’ve been such a fun project to work on. Can we get squeezable butter for real now? But thank goodness “fun squeeze” colored liquid margarine didn’t make it past the early 2000s, feeding that to children should be illegal. Did you also miss that I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter was briefly rebranded to I Can’t Believe It’s So Good? No matter how you spin it, I think we can all believe it’s not butter. Everything Churn makes looks bomb, but I’m going to start with this Holiday Herb Butter because ‘tis the season. Currently using this stick of butter bookmark in my copy of “Dark Money” (i’m in a billionaire rabbit hole after finishing “The Fund” the other week). I think you need this butter tree sculpture for your holiday party. Butter is having a moment in art, fashion and art direction. This week I finally learned what butterscotch actually is (spoiler alert, it’s not butter mixed with scotch). Gift ideas for the butter lover in your life (even if that’s you): earrings, candle, dad hat, butter hugger, art print.
Thanks for reading <3 Have a suggestion for what you want to see covered next? Reply to this email.
