Roman-Inspired Truffle Butter Jar Wins GPI’s 2026 Student Glass Packaging Design Competition
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Tim Wright, The Cyphers Agency
tim@thecyphersagency.com
Roman-Inspired Truffle Butter Jar Wins GPI’s 2026 Student Glass Packaging Design Competition
Michigan State University students combine distinctive design with practical manufacturing considerations
ARLINGTON, VA — October 14, 2026 — The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI), in partnership with Michigan State University’s (MSU) School of Packaging, announced today that the VeniVici Truffle Butter concept has won the 2026 Glass Packaging Design Competition.
The winning team includes Samantha Herrmann, Ava Buchholz, Calvin Leonard, Rebekah Mills and Daniel Gerdman, all undergraduate students in MSU’s School of Packaging. Their design features an amber glass jar with embossed and debossed details depicting the ruins of the Colosseum.
The jar incorporates a lug-style closure and clear pressure-sensitive labels applied to a smooth section of the glass, complementing the textured design.
“Every year, the MSU students bring a fresh perspective to what glass packaging can do,” said Scott DeFife, President of the Glass Packaging Institute. “The VeniVici team created a distinctive design while thinking through how it could actually be manufactured. That’s what makes this competition valuable. It gives future packaging professionals the opportunity to connect a creative idea with the technical knowledge needed to bring it to life.”
According to the students’ report, the Colosseum imagery symbolizes strength, craftsmanship and history, qualities the team associated with the richness and sophistication of truffle butter. The name VeniVici draws on the Latin phrase “Veni, Vidi, Vici,” meaning “I came, I saw, I conquered,” to convey triumph and indulgence.
A panel of packaging industry judges who were not involved in teaching the course selected the winning design during summer 2026. According to MSU instructor, Dr. Alyssa Harben, the design stood out for combining manufacturability with a sophisticated and elegant aesthetic.
“It is something that I could immediately imagine on a store shelf but had never seen before,” said Harben.
"One of the most impressive aspects of our visit to O-I Glass was seeing the precision required throughout the manufacturing process” said Brian Via, Director and Professor of MSU’s School of Packaging. “I was particularly fascinated by how carefully the inside and outside of a glass bottle must be cooled to prevent differential stresses that can lead to defects. It was a powerful demonstration of the science and engineering behind a product many people take for granted."
The glass manufacturing plant O-I Glass hosted students from the winning team for a tour of its glass manufacturing plant in Lapel, Indiana, on September 23, 2026, giving them a firsthand look at the glassmaking process.
"These students are the future of packaging design” said Paul Harris, Product Strategy Growth Process Leader at O-I Glass. “We are more than happy to give them a direct look at the important role they play in the daily operation of a glass plant. As we like to say; you can't sell glass bottles. You have to sell them on a pallet, in a truck, delivered to the customer. Effective packaging design is paramount to success."
“I’m so grateful for this experience, as it allowed us to see the package design process from beginning to end,” said Rebekah Mills, a member of the winning team. “First, by coming up with an idea and collaborating with a team to present a cohesive design, and finally to see the process of how a real glass package gets made.”
“I thought the contest/project was an amazing way to add students' creative values to their classwork,” said Ava Buchholz, a member of the winning team. “The competition created a fun competitive environment that pushed us students to explore many options and ideas we had not yet experienced with the teamwork of our peers.”
About the Glass Packaging Institute
Founded in 1919 as the Glass Container Association of America, the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) is the trade association representing the North American glass container industry. On behalf of glass container manufacturers, GPI promotes glass as the optimal packaging choice, advances environmental and recycling policies, advocates industry standards and educates packaging professionals.
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