Pistachios are great.
They are a low calorie nut
Provide numerous health benefits
and are fun to eat.
But what to do with the shells?
Existing pistachio packagings:
Current pistachio packaging solutions do not address the shells at all - except for
"shelled pistachios" which eliminate the shells entirely, altering the unique experience
that is pistachio eating.
An online survey distributed to 80+ pistachio eaters showed the following:
I got very valuable information from the survey, percentages that spoke for themselves - and wanted to find the why behind these - why the numbers were what they were. I used these key findings as the starting point for new research and ways to delve deeper into the pistachio shell problem.
ONLY 5% OF PEOPLE EAT PISTACHIOS AS AN ON-THE-GO SNACK.
Why is that?
I collected data comparing how likely people are to snack on pistachios on the go versus other typical snacks. Each item chosen has a specific similarity/ diference to pistachios (nutritional value, residue comparable to pistachio shells, etc.)
"On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to take the following options as an on-the-go snack?"
MOST PEOPLE PUT THE SHELLS BACK IN THE CONTAINER, MANY OTHERS MAKE A PILE ON THE SIDE, AND A FEW OTHERS THROW THE SHELLS OUT ONE BY ONE.
This is so inconvenient.
I continued analyzing the user experience of consuming pistachios in order to understand the choices made and how to improve these.
Pistachio Eating Decision Tree:
User Observation:
Consisted of meeting up with a friend and providing pistachios as a snack.
85% OF PISTACHIO EATERS PREFER PISTACHIOS WITH SHELLS.
65% OF PISTACHIO EATERS DO NOT BUY PISTACHIOS DUE TO THE INCONVENIENCE OF THE SHELLS.
How to stop shells from being an inconvenience?
After much brainstorming and concept ideation...
I realized:
In other words, the amount of whole pistachios & empty shells always adds up to 100%
This means a separate compartment is not necessary to solve the shell problem.
Two compartments can coexist and separate whole pistachios from empty shells, like so:
The concept is clear - a round container with a static division and a moving division.
How to construct a realistic cardboard packaging?
I analized existing existing food packaging, focusing on material and structure.
Based on the study I did of existing packaging, I designed and laser cut a
structurally sound, material-efficient pattern.
Patent Pending
