Nestlé says goodbye to iconic 'Quality Street' tin box

Quality Street are saying goodbye to the traditional tin box. Starting next week in the UK, the iconic packaging - which has gone down in history with the faces of Miss Phoebe and Captain Brown - will be replaced by a sweetly designed paper box, strictly "Quality Street purple" and embellished with gold foil. The fragrance of the sweets will be guaranteed - says Nestlè, owner of the brand - by an integrated closure of the container, which - once emptied - can be disposed of in household recycling.

It will start with an experimental phase (200,000 packs, for 150 tonnes of sweets) in selected Tesco supermarkets, but the aim of the Swiss multinational is to arrive - once public acceptance and functionality within the supply chain have been tested - at a abolition of traditional packaging, in line with its esg credo.

"The Quality Street paper tray is an innovation of which we are very proud," comments Cheryl Allen, Head of Sustainability-Confectionery Europe Nestlé. "And this trial," she adds, "will provide us with valuable information to study our next moves.

The path may not be painless, considering the evocative power of this brand, which has been on the market since 1936 (at the time it was owned by John Mackintosh & Sons). It took its name from the play of the same name by James Matthew Barrie (the author of Peter Pan), whose protagonists were the historical Captain Brown and Miss Phoebe.

The Swiss multinational has, of course, taken into account that the novelty might be destabilising for more habitual consumers, so all variants (plastic, can, bag and carton) will be available on British shelves at Christmas.