Six Steps To Modernize Packaging Without Alienating Loyal Customers

As seen on StoreBrands

Deciding to make a change with a popular product is never easy, but there are steps manufacturers can take to ensure an item’s new look does not damage its popularity or familiarity.

Original Catania Oils turkey fry box

Catania Oils sells two popular seasonal products: Turkey Fry Oil blend and 100% Peanut Oil. Both items are used for deep frying turkeys and enjoy a strong following at retail. The problem facing Catania with both products was outdated packaging that did not reflect who the company is today.

When I first proposed updates, people were concerned that if the visuals changed too much, customers would not be able to find the product they trusted. The belief was that buyers wanted continuity, not visual change.

How do you balance the need for modernization without breaking the emotional contract people have with it? There are several steps companies can take.

Step 1. Start with the buyer, not the box

Step one was asking the question, Who is actually buying this, and what matters most to them?

These oils are often purchased for Thanksgiving, meaning it’s personal. Trust matters. Safety matters. Clarity matters. Buyers want confidence to know the oil can safely deep fry a 15-to-20-pound turkey.

Step 2. Choose an agency that lives in food, not just in design

Our ideal partner needed to understand the grocery and club world, labeling laws, and demonstrate a track record of supporting brands that our buyers respect.

This was about presenting who we are in a way that was easier for the customer to read, trust, and buy.

When they came back with the first round of modern concepts, the work was very different from our legacy packaging. It was exactly the kind of leap that makes a marketer say, “This could be the key to accelerating sales.”

Step 3. Build real internal alignment before pushing forward

One of the first people to react to the new direction was a key stakeholder who did not like it. Their instinct was minimal changes closer to the old box.

The reason it didn’t die on the spot was that a family owner and executive leader believed in the new direction and championed it internally.

Having ownership support the redesign reframed the work inside the company. It was no longer “marketing wants to change the box.” It became “this is the next chapter of a product our family has proudly built and stood behind for years.”

Step 4. Refine without watering down the intent

From there, we did not steamroll concerns. We incorporated them.

We went back to the agency and fine-tuned. We protected the elements that matter to long-time buyers, so that when a loyal customer walked down the aisle, they would still recognize this as their product. We also respected and adhered to all food labeling requirements.

We did not compromise the goal. We refined the expression.

Step 5. Prototype and pressure test in the real world

Once we had a version that felt right, we produced physical prototypes. Holding the actual box changed the conversation. Internal stakeholders didn’t have to imagine it.

Then we took it to the market. Major retailers, including a national big box chain, loved the look.

It also opened doors. The new presentation helped us bring in a very large national big box retailer as a new customer.

Step 6. Roll out with intention

Changing packaging at scale is not simple. There is physical inventory in play. There are pallets of printed corrugates, seasonal forecasts, and booked production runs.

Updated Catania Oils turkey fry box

We made a deliberate rollout plan to sunset old packaging responsibly instead of scrapping it. We are doing this in a way that lets us watch how shoppers react without shocking existing loyal buyers overnight to protect both margin and trust.

What can other food brands learn from this?

Treat packaging changes like a product change, not an art project. The box is part of the promise. Respect that.
Start with the buyer’s anxiety, not your creative ambition. Ask, “What do they need to feel safe choosing us?”
Bring sales and ownership in early. Especially in a family-owned or founder-led business. You are not just updating design. You are updating lineage.
Refine instead of dilute. Keeping the spirit of the old brand does not mean copying it pixel for pixel. It means carrying forward the parts that anchor your customers.
Test in the channel that matters. You are not done until retail or club buyers say, “I can move this!”
Roll it out like an operator. Plan through inventory, timing, and phased exposure.

In our case, we got more than a nicer-looking box. We yielded internal alignment, retailer excitement, and a path to reach new customers. Most importantly, we protected something sacred. We changed the box, not the promise.

Heather DelCarpini is the director of Marketing and AI Enablement at Catania Oils, the Northeast’s leading processor and packager of plant-based oils, now in its 125th year.