From Packaging to the Customer’s Door
Two regional advent calendars offer a look at Karl Knauer’s full-service offering
Two Regions, One Shared Concept
Both projects follow the same principle: Initiated by radio stations, the custom-designed advent calendars bring together products from regional businesses. In 2026, Funkhaus Ortenau and Karl Knauer are producing the Schwarzwald Adventskalender together for the second time. The Black Forest project was nominated for the Deutscher Radiopreis in the “Best Programming Campaign” category. Radio Gong 96.3 is launching the München Adventskalender for the first time.
Both advent calendars measure approximately 50 × 40 × 15 centimeters. Their different contents, however, require individually designed packaging interiors. The Schwarzwald Adventskalender illustrates the demands of handling and shipping: It contains 35 regional surprises and weighs 6.5 kilograms when filled. The München Adventskalender brings together 24 products from Munich brands and businesses or products closely connected to the city. Across the two calendars, the selection ranges from culinary specialties and beverages to personal care products, accessories, lifestyle items and experiences.
“Now in its seventh year, the Schwarzwald Adventskalender shows how diverse our home region is and highlights the distinctive businesses and products found here. Moving to Karl Knauer last year was the right decision for us. That is why we knew early on that we wanted to produce this year’s edition together again. We are also delighted to see a similar regional calendar concept take shape in Munich. Perhaps other radio stations will bring the idea to their own regions in the future,” says Markus Knoll, Managing Director of Funkhaus Ortenau, which operates Hitradio Ohr and Schwarzwaldradio.
Many Products, Closely Coordinated Processes
Karl Knauer brought together the requirements of the different products and used them to develop a custom packaging interior for each calendar. The position and dimensions of the individual compartments were designed to hold the items securely and allow for efficient co-packing.
Karl Knauer then handled production, coordinated incoming deliveries of goods, carried out co-packing and prepared the calendars for shipping. The packing sequence also had to be matched precisely to each design and the products delivered. From late July to early September, Karl Knauer packed more than 10,000 calendars across the two projects.
“With advent calendars containing many different products, packaging and co-packing have to be precisely coordinated. By designing the interior structure, we can consider before production how the items will later be packed and shipped safely and efficiently,” says Tobias Munz, Senior Key Account Manager at Karl Knauer.
Online Stores, Customer Support and Shipping in One Service
Karl Knauer’s work continues after co-packing. The company also developed the online stores for both advent calendars and manages their day-to-day operations. It processes payments, provides customer support and handles complaints. Once orders are placed, the calendars are shipped directly from the warehouse to end customers or partners. This allows the radio stations to focus on selecting regional partners, developing the product concept and marketing the calendars, while Karl Knauer handles the operational fulfillment processes, including direct shipment of individual orders via dropshipping.
“The München Adventskalender brings products and businesses from our city together in one concept. For its first edition, we needed a partner who could handle packaging, co-packing, the online store and shipping in full. That allowed us to focus on the calendar’s content and marketing,” says Sarah Ulrich, Head of Marketing at Radio Gong 96.3.
Together, the two advent calendars illustrate complex product-set projects in which brand owners, agencies and retailers can coordinate packaging, co-packing, e-commerce and logistics with Karl Knauer through a single point of contact.
