Description:
Highland Harvests is a bee product kit, inspired by Karuna, a social enterprise rooted in the highlands of Northern Vietnam, dedicated to empowering indigenous Tai Dam communities, preserving biodiversity, and promoting sustainable practices.
Featuring Snow Honey, a hand-poured beeswax candle, and a biodegradable food wrap, the kit reimagines Karuna’s vision through thoughtful design and storytelling. Each product reflects the harmony between nature, community, and sustainability, supporting the organization’s commitment to both people and the planet.
Background
Karuna, a social enterprise from Northern Vietnam, is dedicated to creating eco-friendly, ethically produced goods that benefit both people and the planet. Offering products like Snow Honey, beeswax candles, and beeswax food wraps, Karuna combines purity and quality with a mission to empower local communities and protect fragile ecosystems.
In a region where deforestation and illegal logging threaten biodiversity, and government efforts to boost the economy have fallen short, Karuna provides sustainable income opportunities that help preserve the environment while supporting livelihoods.
Karuna’s social entrepreneurship model empowers local communities by training and partnering with them to produce high-quality, eco-friendly products. By ensuring fair income and promoting ethical, sustainable practices, Karuna helps preserve surrounding forests and biodiversity while supporting livelihoods.
Through initiatives like the Young Leaders' Empowerment program and the Karuna Edu-Bee Farms, the organization equips young people with essential skills and fosters a sense of responsibility for sustainability.
Karuna’s bees thrive in the unspoiled high-altitude forests of Northern Vietnam, surrounded by Snow Shan tea trees and native flora. This unique, pollution-free environment produces pure, nutrient-rich honey and supports local biodiversity, while ethical beekeeping preserves natural habitats and sustains community livelihoods.
The Tai Dam people, an indigenous community in Northern Vietnam, are integral to Karuna’s mission. Living in the highland regions of Thường Xuân, they bring traditional knowledge and a deep connection to their environment to the production of Snow Honey and other eco-friendly goods. Through Karuna’s initiatives, they receive training in ethical beekeeping and sustainable practices.
Visual Identity The Karuna wordmark, crafted with Pangram Pangram Rader, blends modern sophistication with an organic touch, reflecting the brand's balance of innovation and nature. Its clean, bold lines evoke trust and sustainability, while subtle humanistic details echo Karuna’s mission to empower communities and preserve the environment.
The honeybee logomark honors the bee as the brand's true hero. Friendly and approachable, it embodies Karuna's values of harmony and care. The packaging design features a dot pattern and triangular borders inspired by the Tai Dam people’s intricate tapestry, highlighting their rich heritage.
Snow Honey
Snow Honey, a rare and creamy delicacy harvested from Snow Shan trees, is the centerpiece of the Highland Harvests kit. Rich in antioxidants and natural nutrients, this honey embodies purity and sustainability. The packaging design echoes this philosophy, with a clean, friendly label wrapped around a glass jar, emphasizing the honey’s raw authenticity.
Beeswax Candle
The beeswax candle in the Highland Harvests kit is a handcrafted piece that embodies simplicity, sustainability, and warmth. Poured into a natural bamboo cup, the candle offers a clean, long-lasting burn of up to 25 hours, free of synthetic additives.
Beeswax Food Wrap The Highland Harvests beeswax food wrap is a sustainable, reusable alternative to plastic wrap, made from 100% beeswax, cotton, and plant oils. Ideal for wrapping snacks, produce, or leftovers, it’s biodegradable and reduces waste. The compact roll, elegantly packaged with a minimalist paper sleeve, unfolds to reveal care instructions and usage tips, reflecting Karuna's eco-friendly ethos.
Kit Packaging
The Highland Harvests packaging embodies Karuna’s commitment to sustainability and natural elegance. A raw cardboard box holds each item, secured by a rough craft paper lock inspired by Tai Dam tapestry, which also displays essential product details. Inside, the products are snugly arranged in minimal, intentional wells.
The package exterior features friendly, hand-drawn illustrations that bring Karuna’s story to life. Playful yet refined, they highlight the highland forests where the products are sourced, the Tai Dam community supported by the business, Karuna’s sustainability efforts, and the unique items in the kit.
Results
I had the privilege of collaborating on this packaging kit concept with Yen, the founder of Karuna. After refining the design, I traveled to Hanoi to present it to her in person, where it received incredibly positive feedback. We are now actively exploring ways to implement this new visual approach, with the potential to introduce Karuna’s products to the U.S. market. Process
The construction process involved sourcing and crafting each raw product. The beeswax candle cup was hand-shaped using a lathe, with melted beeswax poured into the newly crafted form. The outer kit packaging was laser-cut from E-flute cardboard, while the craft paper overlay was also laser-cut and glued on by hand.