Wholegreen Bakery - The Cardboard Cake

Client: The Wholegreen bakery

Agency: The Hallway

The Challenge

Over 380,000 Australians live with coeliac disease, facing a lifetime of gluten-free eating often perceived as bland and tasteless—summed up by the cliché, “gluten-free food tastes like cardboard.” For Wholegreen Bakery, a pioneer of delicious gluten-free food, this myth was the biggest barrier to winning hearts (and taste buds).

The Idea

To shatter the myth, we created a cake that looked exactly like cardboard but tasted nothing like it—a bold and delicious statement. With Coeliac Awareness Week as our launchpad, we partnered with Coeliac Australia and Wholegreen Bakery to bring this innovative idea to life.

From Concept to Creation

Crafting the “Cardboard Cake” wasn’t easy. Months of R&D and industrial design led to a bespoke baking tray that gave pastry the appearance of corrugated cardboard while ensuring it remained irresistibly tasty.

The Launch

During Coeliac Awareness Week 2024, we unveiled the Cardboard Cake with a media event and launch film, amplifying the message through celebrity chefs, foodie influencers, and key media outlets. The cake wowed critics, including Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel of My Kitchen Rules, who scored it a perfect 10. Coverage by Natalie Barr and Kylie Gillies on the Seven Network sparked a social media frenzy, with people sharing their own rave reviews.

The Results

• $2 million in earned media value

• +24% sales increase

• 238% ROI

• Over 6 million views on Urban List Sydney’s launch post, their most-watched social content ever.

The Impact

Wholegreen Bakery’s Cardboard Cake not only broke the gluten-free stereotype but turned a health condition into a moment of joy and discovery. Sometimes, breaking the mould is as simple as baking it.