Virginia Tech

With summer comes camping. With camping comes outdoor grilling. What could be more perfect than a meal cooked over hot coals? Charcoal grilling is an American tradition.

Charcoal packaging, however, is not something that should be left in the dusty clutches of tradition. Charcoal is packaged in bags that can be hard to carry and difficult to hold. Not to mention the hassle of getting the pull-string top to open the way the designer intended. Heaven forbid you’re wearing white when you decide to pour the coals. To top it all off, you end up having to store the leftover briquettes in the non-resealable bag. Product quality and technological advancements had been made over the years for hotter burning, longer lasting coals. Isn’t it time to bring the packaging up to date?

This new packaging concept is designed with the user in mind. For car and trailer campers, the tube stores easily and can be resealed. The cylindrical shape can easily be attached to a backpack. This concept is easy to carry and light enough for most users to hold. This package also provides the potential for reusability. The cylinder can be used to store kindling for fires or as a makeshift quiver for bow hunters.

This is a product made for the outdoors. It is therefore important that the packaging be environmentally friendly. You won’t be able to enjoy grilling close to nature if there’s no nature left to enjoy. For this reason this product has been designed with 100% biodegradable materials. It will not harm the earth if the product is accidentally lost or left behind.

The majority of the material is a paperboard tube. The end caps are made from molded paper pulp and the strap is made from organic cotton. There is a bio-plastic lining like PLA coating the paperboard to maintain the quality and integrity of the charcoal. Soy based inks were used to maintain the eco-friendly concept. Environmental considerations do not stop at materials however. The reusability of the package is a key component of the product’s sustainability.

The graphics of this package are meant to grab the attention of the consumer when spotted on the shelf. Along with its unique slender appearance, the package informs the customer of its use. We coined it the camp caddy due its size and travel strap which makes this charcoal packaging convenient and very different than any other charcoal package.