Help and suggestions for color scheme for multiple flavor package design

Question

I need help choosing colors for a multiple flavor food product line.
My objective in this post is to know how to create or acquire the palette I will need in order to proceed with design, mock ups, marketing collateral etc.
This project requires a color scheme that has enough contrast and variation to represent up to 24 flavors of food packages per type or line of products. Each product flavor or flavor combination (the name of the item, such as Cherry Cocoa Almond or Apricot Vanilla Bean etc.) in the line will be represented by a single color. The product packaging will be white on solid color. The medium will be laser print on gloss label stock.
The problem is that many flavors will use similar colors. Chocolate items will have different hues of browns and Maple or Nut flavors will also use brown tones. Likewise Orange, Apricot and Mango will use similar hues of orange etc. I know the problem could be solved with dual or multiple colors but I do not have that option for this project. All of the packaging is white on single color. There are no accent colors used.
I need to generate the palette before designing the packaging in order to create mock ups for print and then photography for print marketing collateral and internet marketing assets etc.
Does anyone have a good strategy for this or know of any resources available?
I am using:
Dell Precision T1700 (64-bit)
Windows 7 Professional (Service Pack 1)
Dual screens (not calibrated to Pantone or printer)
Printer: Konica Minolta bizhub c224e
Pantone+ Color Bridge Coated and Uncoated book
Adobe CC, AI, PS, ID etc.
I am printing onto gloss labels for mock ups and will be using images for web.
I would also be interested in knowing how to calibrate these devices.
Thanks!

Answer 1

When it comes to design and design sense, sometimes just the name of the item could generate ideas.  There really is no right or wrong way to come up with concepts.  But, reaching out to other people is a good way of going about it.  In product development, I always recommend putting together some sort of focus group and brainstorm ideas back and forth.  In larger corporate product departments you would have product managers defining their product descriptions.  You might have a marketing group head get involved.  Well, I know I am not telling you anything you didn't already know.  I'm just saying that, as a designer, I always present my ideas to a few people to get feedback.  And, based on that, I can then further develope the idea or dump it and start over.  I recently was involved with a new product development and came up with some really great conceptuals.  But, then I was told by a product manager that sometimes you have to roll-out something preliminary and, in a few years of selling tons of great items, you then revamp the entire line with a tag that reads "new and improved".  This might work in your case where you have limited resources initially.  Hope you do well.  You could always post screen grabs of what you are thinking and we could give you feedback, too.  Just a thought.