Fifth Season – a food system pioneer and the first player in the vertical farming space to launch ready-to-eat salad kits with distribution in 12+ states in over 1,200 locations – is upping the ante again with a bold new package design, as well as a brand new flavor variety.
"Most pre-packaged salads contain sad, wilted, not-so-fresh lettuce that, for the most part, is there to be filler," says Austin Webb, CEO & Co-founder of Fifth Season. "But because our greens are raised so carefully to be remarkably crisp and delicious, they are actually the star of our salads. Our package design and branding now showcase that."
That advantage takes shape in Fifth Season's completely reconstructed packaging that was built with functionality in mind. The salad mix-ins now sit atop the lettuce in a bento-style tray, separating those ingredients from the greens. This gives the robust lettuce the room it needs to remain intact without being tamped down by toppings, keeping it fresh and hearty for days longer in your refrigerator than conventionally grown greens.
But this packaging redesign does more than just store the ingredients in the smartest way. It also was built to create the best grab-and-go salad-eating experience possible for the consumer. The extra room in the bowl allows for "maximum shakability." Once the toppings and dressing are added, the salad is properly tossed with a couple of quick shakes, and all components end up well-combined and coated in dressing, allowing for a flavor-layered bite with every fork full.
Speaking of forks, Fifth Season salad kits now include them! With a recyclable fork now tucked into the package, the grab-and-go salad kits can more easily be eaten on the run, working well into the busy lifestyles of their consumers.
Fifth Season also upgraded the plastic and cardboard sleeves it uses for its salads to be more eco-friendly. The salads now come in 100% recyclable Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic, which has a lower carbon footprint than glass or aluminum and can be recycled, again and again, making it the most recycled type of plastic worldwide. Its paperboard sleeves are also 100% recyclable and are provided by a Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)-certified supplier.
Centering the uniquely bright, fresh greens in its packaging aesthetic was also a priority when the team sat down to strategize on its revamped branding.
"Our greens are vibrant and alive and incredibly visually appealing," says Ben Hall, Fifth Season's creative director who spearheaded the visual update. "We wanted to highlight that on the exterior of the package and on our website so that consumers could quickly understand they're getting a high-quality product unparalleled in this category."
Taco Crunch will make its debut in this new leveled-up packaging. It is the third flavor released by Fifth Season featuring iconic plant-based CPG company Sabra and will be available at Giant Eagle, Wakefern, Albertsons, and FreshDirect.
"Taco Crunch showcases the familiar yet unique flavors we are creating in collaboration with Sabra," says Varun Khanna, VP of Food Products. "They pop on the palate with unexpected elements but are crowd-pleasers at the same time – we think that's the perfect balance."
