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The winner of ECMA Carton of the Year 2007 is Aug. Heinrigs Druck + Verpackung, a German company with 175 years of experience of manufacturing folded boxes. The company focuses on confectionery, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals packaging. The prize was awarded for a chocolate package manufactured for CCC Confiserie Coppeneur et Compagnon. The material used for the carton is Stora Enso Tamwhite board.

"The carton is designed to surprise the person who opens it. Two ends of the box slide apart and reveal the chocolates. The opened carton turns into a small display table giving an impression of a Japanese tea ceremony. Initially, we had just a small prototype of the function, and the final, sophisticated design was developed in close cooperation between Coppeneur and us," says Aug. Heinrigs General Manager Hans-Günther Heinrigs.

"The market for premium chocolates has been very good in the past two years, which has helped us establish Coppeneur as a leading chocolate brand for gourmets. We work in close cooperation with specialist retailers, who are very important partners for us. They must be fully convinced and enthusiastic about our chocolates as, ultimately, they sell the products to consumers," says Georg Bernardini, one of the company owners. Coppeneur chocolates are sold by specialist stores for confectionery, wine, tea and pastry and they can also be found in major department stores throughout Germany.

The Collection Coppeneur was relaunched on the market last year with the new package, and this year the range is being expanded with the launch of a new liqueur chocolate assortment. "Thanks to the new package design, we can quickly change the content in production. This functionality is perfectly combined with the impressive display of the chocolates," says Bernardini.

Taint and odour neutrality was the primary quality requirement for the board material, together with a smooth surface for elaborate printing and the stiffness needed for the table function. The Tamwhite folding boxboard offered the right combination of board properties to support the desired product image: Purity, smoothness and elegance.