The Background
Crown Candy is a family-founded candy manufacturer based in southern Georgia with a long history of producing beloved confections, including their signature caramels and fudge.
Crown Candy’s existing bag styles were functional but lacked the shelf appeal that modern retail customers demand. Specifically, Crown Candy was hearing constant demands from their customers and sales team for a stand-up, resealable package that could compete in the retail environment.
The Challenge
Crown Candy came to Phenix with clear goals. They needed a packaging solution that could:
- Stand upright on retail shelves for improved product presentation
- Include a resealable closure to meet consumer expectations
- Keep costs manageable for a company
- Be operable by their existing workforce without extensive retraining
Conventional paths to an automated rollstock machine carry price tags ranging from $350,000 to $550,000 or more.
Beyond the equipment question, there was also the complexity of getting the package right before committing to tooling, printing plates, and a full film order. Getting the sizing, sealing, and presentation dialed in requires careful prototyping. That process needed a knowledgeable partner to navigate.
Our Approach
Starting with a Conversation
Rather than arriving with a predetermined solution, the Phenix team started by listening. During early meetings with Crown Candy, the team asked the right questions: What presentations did they need to support? What were their production volume goals? What did their existing equipment look like? Who would be running these machines day-to-day?
Crown Candy was able to share specific product targets, for example, filling bags at set weights like 5 oz. and 16 oz., which gave Phenix a clear foundation to work from. The team walked them through the full range of packaging options available and introduced a new approach that hadn’t been considered before: a retrofit kit for their existing machine.
A Retrofit Solution, Not a Replacement
Phenix identified that Crown Candy’s existing packaging equipment, a machine they already owned, understood, and had invested in, could be upgraded with a retrofit kit to produce a stand-up style bag. The retrofit investment came in at approximately $20,000 to $25,000, representing a fraction of the capital outlay of a new replacement machine while delivering the core outcome Crown Candy needed.
End-to-End Guidance
The team guided Crown Candy through the entire process from concept to production, including:
- Developing the package concept and defining the target package presentation
- Determining appropriate sizing based on Crown Candy’s product weights and packaging goals
- Sourcing the tooling required for the retrofit
- Managing installation of the tooling on-site
- Running multiple samples at different sizes before committing to plates and full film production
- Coordinating with a third-party label applicator vendor, and when that vendor initially pushed back, advocating for Crown Candy with documentation showing the application was achievable.
Pacing the Process
The team was also intentional about setting realistic timelines. While the project could have been rushed through in two months, Phenix recommended a four-month timeline to allow Crown Candy adequate time to evaluate samples, confirm expectations were met, and feel confident before finalizing the design. That measured pace paid off: by the time Crown Candy committed to plates and film, they had high confidence in the outcome.
The Results
The project moved from initial meeting to full production in approximately four months. The outcomes spoke for themselves.
- Speed: Crown Candy went from approximately 3–5 packages per minute (hand-packing) to 30 packages per minute, roughly a 6x to 10x throughput increase.
- Flexibility: The retrofit preserved Crown Candy’s ability to run both their original pillow-style bags and the new stand-up bag on the same machine, allowing a gradual product line transition and flexibility.
- Capital efficiency: At $20,000–$25,000 for the retrofit, Crown Candy achieved their packaging goals at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a new machine.
- No learning curve: Because the upgrade was built onto their existing equipment, Crown Candy’s team could run the new package style without additional training, new operators, or new maintenance protocols.
- No added footprint: No new floor space, no new utility hookups, no warehouse reconfiguration. The same machine. The same space. A dramatically better output.
- Retail-ready presentation: Crown Candy’s products now stand up on the shelf with a resealable closure and a fully printed film. The modern retail presence their customers and sales team had been asking for.
Crown Candy’s story is a strong example of what’s possible when a packaging partner brings both technical expertise and a genuine commitment to problem-solving to the table. The objective was straightforward: achieve a modern, retail-ready stand-up bag without overextending capital.
The solution required creativity, collaboration, careful prototyping, and the willingness to advocate for the customer even when outside vendors pushed back.
Phenix delivered a package and a complete pathway from idea to production, on a timeline and budget that made sense for where Crown Candy was in their journey.
Phenix has since become an ongoing packaging-supply and technical-support partner for Crown Candy.
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