Lonohana Estate Chocolate is located on the island of O‘ahu, Hawaii and is the result of two families’ dream to create a vertically integrated chocolate company here in the United States. They propagated their own cacao seedlings, planted their first trees in 2009, and now farm 14 acres of cacao by hand on the North Shore of O‘ahu. They control the entire product cycle: grow and harvest the fruit, ferment and dry the beans, then hand craft small batches of chocolate bars every few weeks at their factory in Honolulu.

Our challenge was to create a new identity that is modern with an island flair and design a new luxurious package that feels elegant and Hawaiian, appeal to island visitors looking for a special “omiyage” to bring back home from their travels to share with family, coworkers, and friends, but keep production costs as low as possible.

I teamed up with my dear friend and colleague, Dayala Aras of Aslan Graphics, to assure that the production of this luxurious package was impeccably executed. Classic Crest Bare White Cover with the woodgrain finish lends a unique background for an unusual construction (based on a Japanese gift box) and abstract Cacao leaves sculpted register embossed on the closure flaps. Common outer shell for all varieties allows larger common order.

Chocolate is wrapped in five different color foils that needs to be keyed on outside of package connecting sensory notes with the bar inside. Belly bands digitally printed on Classic Crest Bare White 80# text allow small print runs, an economical solution, and effective method of “sealing” packages. Hand-written batch numbers and “best by” dates contribute to the handcrafted feel.

“When we approached Deb for a new package design for our chocolate company, we quickly realized that this was just the beginning, and we actually needed a cohesive and complete rebranding. Deb didn’t just create our (now) award-winning packaging, but also our logo and our graphical identity.

Deb listened carefully to what was important to us—what we wanted to convey to a customer—to actually tell a story through design. Not only did the package need to impress, it had many functional requirements as well. We arrived with wild ideas, but no idea where to go from there. A career of ideas and expertise enabled Deb to surpass our wildest expectations. From concept to final design, all the way to product delivery in Hawaii. Three years later, we are beginning a new design project with Deb and cannot wait.”

— Lawrence Boone | Lonohana Estate Chocolate