XO stands for "extra old" which is a tribute to the three-hundred-year union between Grande and Petite Champagne, located in the heart of Rémy Martin, France. XO was created in 1981 to symbolise the excellence of this assembly and is the signature cognac of their cellar master.
It stands to reason then, that with such refined contents, comes an exquisite box. The case for Rémy Martin XO is produced by Wauters, whose expertise lies in the design of unusual technical solutions. With an eye on excellence, Wauters ensure that just like a cellar master, the packaging process, and materials used, are treated with the utmost care and attention during assembly.
The challenge was finding the perfect material for their needs. They chose to use Invercote G 240 g/m2 or 260 g/m2 (depending on the size of the contents) as it covered everything they were looking for – a delicate appearance of the outer carton, but not too fragile, something that felt premium, but wasn’t too rigid.
For Frédéric Ansart, Directeur Commercial at Wauters, the magic of the box comes from the finesse of its stamping. “The main reasons we used Invercote was for the surface” says Frédéric.
The final touch is the brand and its famous centaur, that makes its mark in embossing on the front. “Invercote’s surface for the PET lamination of the medallion and it’s high resistance for embossing and debossing was perfect” adds Frédéric.
Wauters believes that brands’ creativity and expression are increasingly shown on their secondary packaging, and that the protective case is the first example of credibility and know-how. That’s why it’s important that the Rémy Martin XO box speaks luxury, quality material, traditional, yet elegant, and a wonder to touch – the box should be a subtle reflection of its content.