Two Brothers Toffee is an innovative candy company that prides itself on its gourmet and ethically sourced toffee. Founded and operated by two brothers, Nicholas and Dominic Genova, along with Dominic’s wife, Nastasia Genova, this family-run toffee company brings major personality and fun to the traditional segment.
Toffee Love
Nicholas and Dominic grew up with toffee and Nicholas, the chef behind the brand, truly loved it. But it was an expensive treat, so he set out to learn how to make his own.
“It’s a scientific equation of ingredients and cooking temperatures that he played with for over 15 years in their childhood kitchen,” said Co-Founder, Nastasia Genova.
After nailing down a recipe, Nicholas would make the toffee frequently and give it away at Christmas, at charity events, and pass it out to friends and family.
Launching a Toffee Brand
After years in the corporate world, and wanting to try something new, Dominic and Nastasia got the idea to sell it. They knew the business side, and Nicholas knew the kitchen side. So, the union was formed: Two Brothers Toffee.
“As we built our branding, we were trying to emulate all other toffee brands out there. Toffee is generally consumed by an older audience, so we were trying to cater to that market, but everything our marketing company came up with, we didn’t love. We were trying to be something we’re not. We are not heavy and old and traditional. We are making a traditional candy, yes, but we are also a major disruptor,” said Genova.
As Genova describes it, Two Brothers is a unique toffee brand, bringing life back into the segment through real ingredients and fun flavors.
“Toffee is a very traditional candy. The quality of many brands is going down, falling away from traditional English toffee. We are changing that and making toffee relevant to the times again,” said Genova.
The high-end, gourmet candy brand launched in August of 2020 as a direct-to-consumer model, selling the toffee online to consumers from its website. The brand ships all across Canada, with 95% of the business coming in from online, and 5% through local partnerships in the Vancouver area.
“We chose direct to consumer because we wanted to get the information on who was actually going to purchase our product. We built everything from branding to packaging to look good on a website. We asked, ‘how will it show on a website? What will the colors be?’” said Genova.
Pivoting to the Pouch
Two Brothers is a luxury brand so Genova wanted high-quality toffee packaging to match the gourmet ingredients inside. Plus, the brand created the branding and packaging based on what would look good on a screen, as an ecommerce brand not selling on the shelf― thus the right package was imperative.
Initially the brand landed on using a tin box for their toffee packaging, since most luxury candy brands go this route. They found that all the tin box suppliers were overseas, in China, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit as the brand was just starting up, the team feared that this would result in shipping delays.
“We had to pivot after that. Also, Dominic was hooked on flexible packaging. We’re new to the whole thing but we found that ePac had just opened in Vancouver. We started talking to them in March… but I was not into the idea of using flexible packaging for our high-end candy,” said Genova.
Dominic convinced Nastasia to go see the ePac facility and learn what flexible stand-up pouches were all about.
“Immediately as we got in there and started talking with them, I felt so blessed that the tin box orders fell through,” said Genova.
A Match is Made with Digital Printing
With digital printing, the brand was able to do something never possible with tin boxes―create different designs for each SKU in the line-up.
“We couldn’t have created 10 different tin boxes before; it had to be one box. Now we can custom order and create unique packaging for all 10 SKUs,” said Genova.
Digital printing with ePac also allowed the brand to create better toffee packaging designs than ever thought possible, with brighter colors, and the freedom to create the right branding and design to best represent the brand.
“The big thing that we loved is that the bags are 100% customizable, with size, materials, graphics, finishes― you can pick whatever you want. And they walk you through it all. Our creative design on the bag had no limitations with color or graphics. We gave them our vision for the brand and the finished pouch aligned perfectly with who we are. We get as many compliments on the packaging as we do the product,” said Genova.
As Genova describes it, even the highest end customizations and add-ons with ePac are still less expensive than a basic tin box from China. And it’s the customizations and impactful graphics that helps the brand shine in the high-end candy space.
A True Packaging Partner
Two Brothers Toffee enjoys a true partnership with ePac. As a start-up company with no CPG experience, the Genova family found the help they needed from ePac. ePac’s team walked them through the packaging process, showed them the plant, and assisted with choosing the right film.
“We were rookies, never having done this before. The ePac team was so patient in showing us the plant, what the steps were, and package examples. It was a big collaboration, which is a huge reason the packaging turned out so good… they believed in us. ePac really supports us and we support them. It’s not just about our amazing package; we have an amazing relationship that has helped us accelerate and build our brand,” said Genova.
For the toffee packages, the brand chose stand-up, resealable pouches with a soft matte touch with metallic finish. Each SKU has a different look and features a real image of the toffee flavor inside.
“Packaging brings your brand to life. People are looking for an experience with the packaging. We use photos of actual toffee on the bag, and it’s made to look multi-dimensional, like our toffee is. This packaging is able to bring a total experience, where a tin box is just a tin box,” said Genova.
How to Find Your Own Packaging Partner
Custom packaging allows brands like Two Brothers Toffee to shine in its segment, stand out from the competition, and create a fully personalized experience. Have any questions about candy packaging, such as – How do you wrap toffee? What is the right packaging for my gummies? What is the right packaging for toffee wrapping? Give ePac a call and speak with a packaging expert today.
