A rare partnership brewing for 15 years…

Kalea’s continued partnership demonstrates Mondi’s unwavering dedication to their customers. With Mondi’s support, Kalea – a start-up back then - has now evolved, growing alongside their trusted partner. A pivotal part of their journey was the brainstorming sessions, and innovative designs at Kalea and at Mondi’s ThinkBox coupled with rigorous testing of these ideas at Mondi’s Performance Lab in České Budějovice. This form of collaboration has ensured the highest quality outcomes for Kalea’s products. Mondi’s ThinkBox and Performance Lab serve as hubs for innovation, learning, and problem-solving in packaging solutions.

The ideas and products for Kalea came to life in Mondi Grünburg plant in Austria, where our offset printing capabilities can bring any eye-catching design to reality. Offset printing of sophisticated designs and patterns allows any company to easily elevate their brand and enhance their shelf and eCommerce presence.

Special recognition goes to our colleague Martin Wolf, Senior Sales Manager, and our creative minds in product development team in Mondi Grünburg whose exceptional support has made Kalea feel like true partners. Mondi’s commitment to innovation and long-term collaboration continues to foster shared success stories.

We were fully aware that partnering with a start-up has its challenges. Mondi took a chance on us as a start-up, and their dedication to solving challenges, offering flexibility, and consistently delivering quality has been key to our success. For us, Mondi is an excellent partner — not only because of their ability to produce at scale, but also because they maintain a level of flexibility that is rare to find. 

Peter Reimann, Managing Director & CEO of Kalea

Lead more about the Kalea Challenge: 

With online shopping at its peak during the festive season, eCommerce companies face increasing pressure to ship products swiftly, securely and sustainably. When it came to finding a solution for a fragile Yuletide product for Austrian start-up, Kalea, we delivered. Mondi's made-to-fit, cost-saving corrugated e-packaging solution for their Advent Beer Calendar saw the product storm the Christmas gift market. 

Challenge #1

Guarantee product safety during long-haul shipping With Kalea starting to move from traditional supply chain channels to online sales and quickly expanding e-shipments to global markets, the main concern was how to ensure their 24 carefully selected craft beer bottles would reach their destination fully intact. The solution would not only have to prevent the fragile glass bottles inside the box from moving around and breaking but also include durable packaging material that could withstand changing humidity conditions during overseas transport.

Challenge #2

Save time and shrink shipping costs Smaller eCommerce operations that experience quick growth need to overcome operational limitations and logistic challenges. To reduce costs and to handle increasing orders with the same staff, Kalea needed an improved and tailored packaging solution suitable for both, offline and online sales channels.

Challenge #3

Create the ultimate brand experience A product’s overall appearance is just as important as its quality, to build brand awareness and encourage future orders. For Kalea, the Advent Beer Calendars’ seasonal design has to be revamped every year whilst maintaining the recognisable look and feel of the first edition. The need was to merge the brand´s sophisticated artwork with eco-friendly materials, which consumers could easily dispose of for recycling.

The Result

A seasonal product on everyone’s wish list Taking the three challenges on board, we developed an Advent Calendar box made from corrugated board to snugly and securely hold 24 German craft beers.

Mondi delivered structural design adjustments and a highly protective divider system fit to perform with several different craft beer bottle types and sizes. The new and tailored solution with a more efficient insert saves time on the assembly and the filling of the packaging. A change of dimensions helped to slim valuable pallet space in delivery to stores and online marketplaces, which reduces transport costs and emissions. The overall design is both quick to assemble and easy to take apart at home, with a handle for easy carrying. Its round, perforated cut-outs enable the customer to take the beer straight from the box and into the fridge.

The strong and durable characteristics of the board can withstand humidity and moisture during overseas shipment. The high-quality offset printed corrugated material allows for premium appearance and boosts brand image.