Custom rigid boxes for a home brewing kit: Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet

How can you combine an unusual hobby like at-home brewing with a design-oriented product? Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet (which translates to The Little Kitchen Brewery) is a Swedish brand that does exactly that. In the case study made with Packhelp, the founders explained their vision of DIY brewing fun and how customized packaging helped define the brand’s unique character.

Brewing has a long history in Sweden, associated with one of the favourite drinks of the Nordic cultures and Vikings (ale in particular). Throughout centuries, the beer culture evolved and the drink has significantly changed too. Modern breweries offer all kinds of beer, from traditional lagers to seasonal treats and organically sourced ones.

The next step in this evolution of beer is its DIY version. Thanks to the wide range of possible tastes of brewed drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), the home production became a cool hobby.

But can you turn into an expert on brewing techniques? Is it possible to create one kit to brew not only beer, but also kombucha or cider?

The founders of Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet - Jakob Nielsen and Mikael Zetterberg - met a few years ago and started the company that answers these questions above.

“We both worked in advertising when we founded our company 7 years ago. It was a fun side project and an excuse to hang out in our spare time (despite no longer being kids). We started brewing beer at home and it was quite difficult, however, we sensed that with just a little bit of tweaking here and there, we would end up  with a perfect hobby for almost anyone.”

Mikael and Jakob’s hobby project eventually grew into a full-scale brand. The founders of Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet that their professional experience was crucial in the company's development.

“In our advertising careers we had always strived to make things understandable and we realized that with a fresh and pedagogical approach beer brewing can be easy and super fun!”

A range of possibilities

A clear vision allowed the founders of Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet to think beyond a producer of brewing equipment. Their product is, most importantly, an experience.

“The purpose of Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet is being an eye-opener. We want to get more people to brew their own beer, cider or kombucha as easily as possible, using as little equipment as possible. And most importantly – the brew needs to taste really great. Every time.”

Fun shouldn’t mean anything too complicated. Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet is inspired by IKEA - the product is something easy-to-use and possible to develop as a hobby.

“We hate… well, we don’t like, equipment and difficult instructions. We sell our own brew kits and ingredient kits online on our site and also in stores around Sweden through a large kitchenware chain and a chain of stores that sell design oriented products. Our aim is to make these kits as easy to use as possible. A product for anyone.”

The packaging of Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet

The beer-cider-kombucha brewing set is packed in large boxes made from Arktika paper. The external surface is laminated with foil to give the boxes an extra vivid colour saturation.

Mikael and Jakob used simple, minimalist images to complement the design. These graphics present ingredients of kombucha - a bag of tea, lemon, lemons and ginger - along with a glass jar used for fermentation.

“The packaging is very important for us. We spend as much time on making our kits to be easy-to-use as on making our products easy-to-want. Packaging helps to reach that point when a customer’s reaction is ”Aha!”- a sensation.”

Part of what makes the packaging of Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet so unique is the vivid palette of colours. Each box bursts with shades of yellow, green and orange, along with contemporary/artsy graphics.

“The boxes of Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet play a big role in communicating that this is something you didn’t know you wanted. However, now that you’ve seen it - you must have it.”

Colourful packaging of Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet reflects the brand’s promise of fun & unique product

At the end of the day, packaging design needs to reflect the company’s values, as well as the product itself. Mikael and Jakob created a project, where a box captures the fun, creative essence of their DIY kit. The unboxing experience of Det Lilla Köksbryggeriet is the prelude to all the cool stuff inside and the process of brewing.