Bottling "Mike's Way" A Logisticaal Nightmare into a CPG Success
Retail Merchandising, Operational Strategy, Packaging Design, Branding, Innovation, ResearchAjnci partnered with Jersey Mike's to revolutionize how they deliver their iconic "Juice" (their signature olive oil and red wine vinegar blend) for the booming to-go and catering markets. By transitioning from a labor-intensive, manual preparation process to premium, ready-to-go 1oz packets and an 8oz retail bottle, we transformed a messy operational headache into a highly shareable, eco-friendly brand asset that drives new revenue.
CHALLENGE
Surging third-party delivery and to-go orders created a massive operational bottleneck for the brand. To fulfill requests for "Juice on the side," staff were forced to spend an hour every day manually hand-pouring oil and vinegar into generic 2oz plastic soufflé cups, sealing them with lids, and wrapping them in cling film. This archaic process resulted in inconsistent flavor ratios, massive product waste from spillage, and a surprisingly messy, unappealing unboxing experience for the end consumer. Furthermore, the excessive plastic waste conflicted with modern sustainability standards, and the makeshift, unbranded cups offered zero marketing value for a brand known for its iconic flavor profile.
RESULTS
Ajnci’s holistic expertise in product design and operational strategy successfully replaced a broken, inefficient system with a sleek, highly profitable Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) solution. We delivered a custom 1oz paper-based packet for individual subs and an 8oz replica bottle for catering and retail, effectively turning a basic condiment into "The Juice," a standalone brand asset. Financially and operationally, the data underscores the project's massive success: landed costs dropped from $0.36 to just $0.292 per serving, and franchises reclaimed a critical hour of daily paid labor per 40 cups. The 8oz retail bottles (delivered at $1.14 per bottle) established a brand-new, highly requested retail revenue stream. Environmentally, our design reduced plastic usage by 93% compared to portion cups, saving an incredible 75,000+ pounds of plastic waste for every 8 million packs produced.
Jersey Mike's Subs is a rapidly growing, premier fast-casual sandwich franchise with over 3,200 locations across North America. Founded in 1956, the brand has cultivated a fiercely loyal customer base and is famous for its authentic, fresh-sliced, and fresh-grilled submarine sandwiches.
APPROACH
PACKAGING
We meticulously crafted the packaging to serve as a premium extension of the Jersey Mike's visual identity. The 1oz packets utilized custom PMS colors and a cropped logo bleed to maximize the small space. For the 8oz retail bottles, we designed an embossed "Mike's Way" logo, foil safety seals, and a branded clear label with blending instructions—details that elevate the product in our lifestyle visual assets.
We engineered a dual-format packaging strategy featuring 1oz single-serve packets for individual to-go orders and 8oz bottles for catering and retail. The 1oz packets visually mirror the rich, dark tones of the in-store bottles and feature a premium matte finish with an intuitive bend-and-tear tab. This tab reveals a focused dispersion nozzle, mimicking the classic in-store "sprinkle" experience that will look stunning in the close-up product photography.
APPROACH
OPERATIONS
Maintaining the authentic "Mike's Way" flavor profile was critical to our strategy. We developed a precise two-stage filling process for the packets to guarantee a perfect 50/50 split of 0.5 oz red wine vinegar and 0.5 oz olive oil blend. This ensured that whether the sub was eaten in-store or delivered an hour later, the flavor integrity and ratio remained flawless.
By introducing ready-to-go, shelf-stable packaging, we completely eliminated the daily demand planning for cups, lids, and wrap. This strategic shift removed all back-of-house prep labor associated with "The Juice," saving crews roughly one hour of tedious work for every 40 portion cups and streamlining the chaotic lunch rush.
APPROACH
RESEARCH
Our creative strategy was deeply informed by data. A Media Predict consumer survey revealed that while 57% of users aware of "The Juice" viewed it very favorably, unaided brand awareness for the specific name was only 7%. Additionally, our extensive cost analyses proved the transition would ultimately lower the landed cost per serving, giving us the data-driven leverage needed to push toward a heavily branded, cost-saving CPG solution.
To ensure market viability, we executed rigorous operational testing. This included a 65,000-bottle run to gauge retail velocity and a 25,000-unit packet test to evaluate customer adoption and leak resilience. Early testing of a 1.0oz clear plastic bottle concept failed, which allowed Ajnci to swiftly pivot to the superior, eco-friendly Xela Pack pouch design that ultimately won out.
APPROACH
MARKETING
We meticulously crafted the packaging to serve as a premium extension of the Jersey Mike's visual identity. The 1oz packets utilized custom PMS colors and a cropped logo bleed to maximize the small space. For the 8oz retail bottles, we designed an embossed "Mike's Way" logo, foil safety seals, and a branded clear label with blending instructions—details that elevate the product in our lifestyle visual assets.
We reframed the leftover condiment packets as highly shareable "mobile ads" designed to extend brand reach. The 8oz bottles were integrated with QR codes directing customers to catering portals and how-to videos, while dedicated social media mockups (e.g., "Sprinkle your sub whenever you want") were conceptualized to drive immediate in-store retail purchases.