All about our packaging

At Feelgood Organic Hampers one of the most common questions we are asked by our customers is how do we package our hampers?  So today I thought I would show off our gift boxes and tell you why we chose this particular solution.


Just over 4 years ago when I started Feelgood Organic Hampers I started looking around for baskets to pack them in.  Up until this point my image of a hamper was a basket packed with produce wrapped in cellophane but I knew I wanted to do something different for my company.  I wanted something that would stand out, that would ensure that recipients of the gift would remember this hamper and the person who sent it.  I also wanted something that would enhance our brand and promote our eco-friendly and ethical ethos.


I looked at lots of different baskets, some were inexpensive made in India and China, both the air miles associated with these and ethical concerns I would have about the conditions in the factories where they were made meant that they were not an option.  Some were beautifully crafted and Irish made but sadly beyond the price I was able to pay for packaging.  My market research had also flagged that baskets were not popular with people who received hampers, they complained, that amongst other things they caused clutter in their homes.  So my next step was to look at gift boxes, packaging that could be recycled.  Again I looked at all the major suppliers in Ireland, I visited packaging companies, met salespeople and eventually, with the help of our company's designer Francis Taaffe came up with a solution that fulfilled the brief.  A box which mimicked the brown paper and string style of packaging, a design which evoked nostalgia, packaging which could be recycled.  Each box is tied with string and a tag and hand stamped with the company logo.


The box has worked really well for us, it has enhanced our brand by making it memorable, it's also memorable to the gifts recipients which means our clients are happy.


Because the boxes are mostly made in Ireland, because they can be reused and recycled, because they contain recycled material this is packaging you can feelgood about.


Customised Gift Boxes


We offer corporate clients the opportunity to customise their gift boxes by replacing the Feelgood Organic Hampers logo with their company logo.


If you are interested in customising a Feelgood Organic Hamper for your company contact us through our website or phone us on 059 863 899.

Can direct action cure green fatigue?

Today is blog action day.  Around the world bloggers are coming together to blog on one topic: climate change.

Thinking about what I would write about today I decided that I wouldn't write about the little things we can all do in our everyday life that can help guard against the onset of climate change.  I didn't want to become another of those droning voices that have started to repel rather than encourage people to become more eco-conscious.  For years we've been told to recycle our rubbish, not fly anywhere, take public transport, use energy saving bulbs, eat local and organic food and many of us have dutifully followed.  Every day we get new tips on how we can help and we embrace them mostly without complaint.  Some of us may have even experienced the guilt of having to purchase a plastic bag at the checkout because we have forgotten to bring our own.  For many of us 'being green' is part of our everyday lives but for others the fatigue has started to creep in.

Green fatigue is a worrying yet understandable phenomenon.  People feel they are making day-to-day sacrifices but no longer seem to believe they are truly making a difference.  People see others not making any effort to curb their carbon emitting habits and loose the will to try and do something themselves.  Some people feel that it is the governments that are letting them down, their personal effort seems to pale into insignificance when their leaders are still proposing new coal burning power stations like the one at Kingsnorth which was the centre of last years UK climate camp.


Some feel big businesses are stopping governments making the right decisions for the environment.  I've talked to people who simply can't understand why big petrol thirsty cars are still being made.  Is it enough that the consumer wants them, or should the government just legislate against them?  Here in Ireland we have raised taxes on these vehicles but surely it would be a better solution to stop making them? Is capitalism ultimately killing the planet? 

So what is the solution?

Many think that direct action is the only way to mobilise enough power to force governments to change their minds.  This week we saw Greenpeace scale the Houses of Parliament in London in a call to make the government live up to their responsibilities and put climate change on the top of the agenda.  They received massive publicity for their efforts appearing on all the major news bulletins and in the newspapers.  Earlier this year we saw Ireland's first Climate Camp focusing to the peat burning power station in Shannonbridge Co. Offaly.  They also drew a lot of press attention to an issue that many of us in Ireland are ignorant of.  But can such direct action really make a difference beyond awareness raising?

I'd like to thing that tentatively yes they can.  In 2008 Camp for Climate Action in the UK camped out at the Kingsnorth Power Station in Kent.  The coal burning station was due to be closed down in 2016 to conform to EU pollution regulations but there were plans to replace it with yet another coal fired power station.   The new facility was heralded to be a cleaner coal burning station, it was to be 'capture ready', a term that incensed many as the technology involved in capturing carbon and storing it is still in it's infancy and comes with it's own set of problems.  The protesters believed, and many agreed that there should simply be no more coal burning stations built, instead they believe more money needs to be put into cleaner and renewable fuels, some would even be happier to see the nuclear option than more coal.


The camp became big news, not just because of the direct action but also because of the behavior of the police during the camp.  This week demonstrators will be celebrating a cautious victory as plans for the new station have been put on hold.

So is this a case where direct action has had a positive effect on climate change?  I would like to think so, I would like to believe that there is more I can do than cycling and recycling that has the potential to make a difference.  It could also be a way to curb our green fatigue.  This past 12 months has shown that we are not scared of standing up to our government, and we have achieved success with policy u-turns on issues such as medical cards for pensioners.  Direct action is something we can all take part in and it will also give us back the belief that there is something positive we can do.

Why Feelgood Organic Hampers for Corporate gifts?

Today I realised I had been blogging for over two years yet hadn't told you why a Feelgood Organic Hamper is a perfect gift, what makes us tick, what our aims are.

We believe our job at Feelgood organic hampers is all about giving people the feelgood factor. 

• We can help you make your clients and customers Feelgood
• We can help you make your staff Feelgood
• We can help you make your friends and family Feelgood
• Best of all we can give you that feelgood feeling which only comes from giving a special and appreciated gift.

• We help our suppliers feel good by supporting small local artisan producers as much as possible.
• We endevour to source fairtrade products which make workers in the developing world feelgood.
• Everything we sell is organic which means we make the earth feel good.

How can all this good Karma rub off on you and your business?

If your in business ask yourself:

Do you value repeat custom? 

Of course you do!  When a client or customer gets a gift from you it could be the one thing that makes them pick up that phone and place an order.  I have sent out small gifts to clients and potential clients and have received emails, phone calls and orders virtually immediately. For the people that weren’t ready to order at that exact moment, the gift made it a lot easier for me to talk to the right person the next time I called.

By showing your customers that you value them you are inspiring loyalty.

Do you value word of mouth?

Of course you do! An improptu gift can become a talking point. When you finish a contract with someone, leave a gift behind as a surprise, soon enough they will be talking about you and the surprise gift you left them.

Do you want to improve staff morale?

In the current climate it is easy for staff to feel deflated, many are just waiting to hear bad news and a deflated staff is an inefficient staff.  To combat this run a competition, set a target and offer rewards to the winners.

We can work on a gift solution for you from as little at €5 which could cause that customer to pick up the phone again,

That could cause that customer to tell their friends about you.

That could make your staff member work extra hard to be rewarded.

If your not in business and just want to buy someone a great gift:

You can choose from our range of hampers online or we can tailor a gift to your specific needs.  We offer delivery throughout Europe.  Order online or call us on +353 (0) 59 863 8999 or contact us through our website: www.feelgoodhampers.com