Gelato Fiasco, Brunswick, Maine, said it changed its pint packaging from plastic to paper and introduced an all-new brand design. The change should save nearly 3 million plastic jars over the next year.

“I had been trying to reduce plastic usage in my own life,” said Cofounder and CEO Joshua Davis. “While personal practice is a great start, it became increasingly uncomfortable and untenable to ignore an obvious contradiction: If I am trying to reduce my plastic consumption as a single consumer, why not get real and cut out literally millions of plastic pint containers that I have some control over?”

The paper pints are made with paperboard that is Sustainable Forestry Initiative-certified. According to Gelato Fiasco, the move has additional benefits within the company’s production and supply chains.

Gelato Fiasco said it collaborated with Portland, Maine-based branding studio Might & Main to create a modern, sophisticated brand look with distinct rooting in the company’s Maine heritage.
The pints feature waves of color on each package that are specific to each flavor. The back of the containers shares a short quip about the flavor and highlights Gelato Fiasco’s scoop shop origin story. The pints also have social media callouts, which vary for each flavor and invite fans to connect with the company.

“Our brand has a deep heritage — Bruno and I started Gelato Fiasco as a gelato shop in Brunswick after we graduated from college, and today, you can find Gelato Fiasco pints in more than 5,000 grocery freezers across the country, competing against massive brands from some of the world’s largest multinationals,” said Davis. “We remain founder-led, quality-focused and really independent, and we’ve tried to convey that through every choice we made with our new brand design.”

Nondairy flavors contain special plant-based indicators on all sides of the container. The new design also utilizes the new FDA nutrition facts style. The company said it expects that most grocers will be fully transitioned to the packaging by the end of summer.

Gelato Fiasco’s grocery store placements include Publix, Harris Teeter, H-E-B., Winn-Dixie, The Fresh Market, Giant, Stop ‘n’ Shop, Hannaford, Market Basket, Safeway and Albertsons regions, Harmons, Fairway Market, select Sprouts Farmers Market stores, Whole Foods Market locations in New England and thousands of independent and smaller grocers nationally, the company said.