Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 14, 2011

Posted under

Marketing, Packaging

Comments

1 Comment

Artisan food producers, Co-Op Sweden

One of the many decisions to be taken by a food producer as their business grows is whether to supply large food retailers with own brand products.

The elements of this decision involve scale, loss of brand awareness, margins, cashflow and dedication of resources to a part of the business which may not be core to their plans in the future.

Not every large retailer is the same and that is part of the complexity. If the decision involves retaining the producer brand as part of the product packaging then that can mitigate that element of the compromise.

This is 2 product shots from the Co-op chain in Sweden (taken while on holiday recently in Stockholm). In each you can see the consistent way in which the producer is named and credited on the packaging – adding to the authenticity of the range. This is a link to the page (in Swedish) on the Prima range which these are taken from.

From that page “We’ve tasted our way to the very best and will start with 50 carefully selected delicacies. All are original label and produced by suppliers with a passion for really good food. Now it’s your turn to enjoy the Coop Prima.”

Like that a lot.

Keith

 

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 9, 2011

Posted under

Great brands and producers, Guest Post

Guest Post: Metalman, the design of their brand

The third in this series comes from David Manser of VitaminStudio.ie who is responsible for the design of the brand, packaging and other elements of the Metalman Brewing who started up in Waterford, Ireland in 2011.

This is what David had to share about the process:

The Story of the MetalMan Brewing Branding

I first heard from the infectiously enthusiastic Gráinne and Tim back in August 2010 (has it really been a year??!!). I immediately decided that I wanted this gig, so I set about putting together a proposal that was the very best I could make it. Thankfully, Gráinne and Tim liked what they saw, so in what was to become quite a regular occurrence, we celebrated our new association over a pint in Geoff’s, Waterford.

MoodBoarding

The first step was to get together a mood board for the three of us to go through and get a feel for likes and dislikes and maybe start to feel out a direction for the branding. It really didn’t take long, we all clicked pretty much straight away. Gráinne and Tim had pretty early on decided that they wanted an art-deco inspired theme from the branding.

Most of my research went off to the dark and dingy corners of the Art Deco movement, far removed from the rather beautiful Cassandre travel posters that immediately spring to mind when mentioning Art Deco! I loved the idea of giving the brand an aged, antique feel but applying modern computer techniques to its production.

Initial Concepts

The next step was to begin sketching and refining the scattergun of ideas down to three cohesive directions. The name Metalman inspired some fairly far out (and sometimes plain scary!) directions ala Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. We felt that idea was just too obvious and probably intimidating!

We also hit an issue in that a Tramore family have actually trademarked the MetalMan. I was secretly quite glad, as the Metalman strikes quite a camp pose! We decided that a figurative logo was probably not going to work so moved away from that into a good, strong typographic logo with embellishment to give the right look and feel.

Colour Scheme

The next step was to get the colour schemes agreed. I have a very simple approach to colour. It’s such a subjective thing that I tend to take a back seat and simply advise and suggest. There are of course some colour schemes that I would definitely advise for and against, but when it comes down to it, if the client is committed to a scheme that isn’t inappropriate for the application then I’m always happy to go with it.

As is proper, the artwork evolved from pencil sketches through to Adobe Illustrator vector work and finally into Photoshop where the fun stuff happens! To finalise the project, we presented Gráinne and Tim with a full suite of logo artwork to suit all applications from print to embroidery to signage to web and beyond.

We added an element of flexibility into the design by producing versions that would work in restrictive spaces. When it comes to logo artwork, I always figure that it’s best to try and anticipate problems and provide solutions rather than leave it up to individual end-users to try and fix it their way. That’s how inconsistency creeps in!

From Logo to Collateral

Once the logo was finished we moved on to font heads, beermats, posters, flyers etc. Having gone through the logo development, we all had a very good feel for the brand and to date, the work has rolled out at a rate of knots. Kinda appropriate being that next seasonal brew we were tasked with branding was Windjammer, a rather delicious pale amber beer released for the Tall Ships festival in Waterford.

It’s been a genuine pleasure to get to know and work with Gráinne and Tim. I genuinely enjoy working on their stuff and I look forward to many more brainstorming/new brew tasting sessions in their company!

Dave Manser
http://www.vitaminstudio.ie/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vitamin/142849835731578

Thanks to Dave for that and need to line up another guest post now – if you know of a designer who wants to share their work on an Irish artisan brand design let me know 🙂

Keith

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 8, 2011

Posted under

Great brands and producers

Union Roasted

Established in 2001 by Jeremy and Stephen they are based in East London and roast small batches everyday. Update – their website is here.

I enjoy a number of their blends and it is one of the few purchases I make from Dunnes.

Keith

20110808-045627.jpg

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 1, 2011

Posted under

Awards Winners, Great brands and producers

Comments

1 Comment

Irish Winners in the Great Taste Awards 2011

These awards happened while I was away on holidays so I missed the conversations around the large number of Irish winners in the Great Taste Awards 2011.

Courtesy of an ecuddy in the Bord Bia Vantage forums here is a full listing of all Irish Winners to which I have added links to the primary web presence for each of the artisan/smaller scale producers. For those of you not familiar with the Awards they are UK based, utilise a panel of over 300 judges and you will have seen the awards referenced on packaging using this:

They are very well respected within the food sector and a win here is an indicated of a seriously good food product that is ranked by its peers.

3 star – Barry’s Rooibos Tea , Barry’s Tea
3 star – Vanilla Tablet , Mella’s Fudge – http://www.mellasfudge.com/
3 star – SuperValu Supreme Orange Blossom Honey – Produced By Healy Honey , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland – http://www.healyshoney.ie
3 star – Wiberg Pumpkin Seed Oil , Wallbridge
3 star – Yeats Country Organic Full Fat Soft Cheese , Green Pastures (Donegal) – http://www.greenpasturesdonegal.com
3 star – Yeats Country Goats Cheese , Green Pastures (Donegal) – http://www.greenpasturesdonegal.com
2 star – Solaris Lapsang Souching , Solaris Botanicals – http://www.solarisbotanicals.com/
2 star – Fairtrade Brazil , Ponaire Coffee Roastery
2 star – Fairtrade Master Blend , Bewley’s Ltd.
2 star – Classic Italian Blend , McCabe’s Tea and Coffee – http://www.mccabecoffee.com
2 star – Flapjack Mix , Cathys Spelt For Health  – http://cathysspeltforhealth.blogspot.com/ (website down at time of posting)
2 star – SuperValu Traditional Brown Bread – Produced By CDF , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland
2 star – Harvest Brown , McCloskey’s Bakery – https://www.facebook.com/pages/McCloskeys-Bakery/165896440126246 (no website?)
2 star – Wheaten bread , Aroma Bakery (no website?)
2 star – Truffle Fairy Tequila, Salt & Lemon Truffle , The Truffle Fairy – http://www.trufflefairy.com/
2 star – Truffle Fairy Cardamom and Orange Truffle , The Truffle Fairy – http://www.trufflefairy.com/
2 star – Honey and brandy truffle , The Chocolate Garden – http://www.chocolategarden.ie/
2 star – Chestnut and Honey , Cocoa Atelier
2 star – Aldi Kilcree Gold Active 10 Manuka Honey , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
2 star – Abbey Farm Fruits Blackcurrant Jam  , Abbey Farm Fruits – http://www.abbeyfarmfruits.com/
2 star – G’s Gourmet Raspberry Jam 340g  , G’s Gourmet Jams  – http://www.gsgourmetjams.ie/
2 star – Luxury Mincemeat  , The Foods Of Athenry Ltd. – http://www.foodsofathenry.ie/
2 star – SQ Luxury Muesli  , Superquinn Ltd.
2 star – Chilly Quince Jelly , Crossogue Preserves  – http://www.crossoguepreserves.com/
2 star – Tandoori Marinade , Food Lovers Catering Ltd – http://www.food-lover.com/
2 star – Caesar Salad Dressing , Limerick Strand Hotel
2 star – Smoked Bacon Streaky , The Carraig na Breac Smokehouse  – https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Carraig-na-Breac-Smokehouse/121005457975763 (website not built)
2 star – Oliver Carty Smoked Rack of Bacon  , Oliver Carty – http://www.olivercarty.ie/
2 star – Clonakilty Oak Smoked Rashers , Clonakilty Black Pudding Company  – http://www.clonakiltyblackpudding.ie/
2 star – Supervalu Wiltshire Ham on the Bone  , Brady Family Ltd. – http://www.traditionalham.com
2 star – Honey baked ham on the bone , Horgans Delicatessen Supplies – http://www.horgans.com
2 star – Irish Angus T Bone Steak , Hilton Foods Ireland Limited
2 star – Irish Angus Cote Du Bouef , Hilton Foods Ireland Limited
2 star – Aldi Nature’s Isle Irish Smoked Bacon Eye Loin , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
2 Star – Woodcock Smokery Hot Smoked Tuna , Woodcock Smokery – http://www.woodcocksmokery.com/
2 star – Chicken liver pate , Limerick Strand Hotel
2 star – Yeats Country Organic Creme Fraiche , Green Pastures (Donegal) – http://www.greenpasturesdonegal.com
2 star – Gortnamona , Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese – http://www.cooleeney.com/
2 star – Full Fat Soft Cheese , Green Pastures (Donegal) http://www.greenpasturesdonegal.com
2 star – Light in Fat Soft Cheese , Green Pastures (Donegal) http://www.greenpasturesdonegal.com
2 star – Aldi Ardagh Specially Selected Irish Vintage White Cheddar , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
2 star – Imokilly regano PDO , Horgans Delicatessen Supplies – http://www.horgans.com
2 star – St Tola Organic Soft Log , Inagh Farmhouse Cheese Ltd. http://www.st-tola.ie/
2 star – Corleggy , Corleggy Cheeses – http://corleggycheeses.com/
2 star – Aldi Ardagh Specially Selected Irish Tipperary Blue Cheese , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
2 star – Blue Cheese- Boyne vally blue , Boyne Valley Blue Farmhouse Cheese
2 star – Superquinn Cashel Blue , Traditional Cheese Co. Ltd. – http://www.traditionalcheese.ie/
2 star – SQ Luxury Mince Pie  , The Foods Of Athenry Ltd.- http://www.foodsofathenry.ie/
2 star – Lily O Brien’s Passion Fruit Posset , Lily O’Briens Chocolates – http://www.lilyobriens.ie/
2 star – Very Delicious Gluten Free Christmas Pudding  , The Foods Of Athenry Ltd.- http://www.foodsofathenry.ie/
2 star – Irish Whisky ice cream  , Tipperary Organic Ice Cream- http://www.chocolategarden.ie/
2 star – Superquinn SQ Raspberry Sorbet , Silver Pail Dairy – http://www.silverpail.com/
2 star – Gookies Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough , Gookies – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gookies/110103285717377 (no website?)
2 star – Christmas made easy roast parsnip soup , Christmas Made Easy – http://www.christmasmadeeasy.ie/
1 star – Winterman Mulled Wine , Hot Irishman Ltd – http://www.hotirishman.com/
1 star – Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey , Cooley Distillery (Head Office) – http://www.cooleywhiskey.com/
1 star – Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey , Cooley Distillery (Head Office) – http://www.cooleywhiskey.com/
1 star – Aldi Avoca Aged Irish Blended Whiskey , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Walshe’s Fresh Orange Juice , Sunshine Juice Ltd. – http://www.sunshinejuice.com/
1 star – Aldi Del Rivo Pure Pressed Orange & Mango Juice , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – SuperValu MAS Summer Fruits Dilute – Produced By Harneys , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland
1 star – Walshe’s Traditional Lemonade , Sunshine Juice Ltd. – http://www.sunshinejuice.com/
1 Star – Fior Uice Sparkling Irish Water , Fior Uisce (True Water) – http://www.fioruisce.com/
1 star – Aldi Vive Rock Shandy , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Campbells Tea , Robert Roberts
1 star – Luxury Loose Leaf Blend , Robert Roberts
1 star – Solaris Jasmine Green Tea , Solaris Botanicals- http://www.solarisbotanicals.com/
1 star – Fairtrade Decaf Tea Blend , Robert Roberts
1 star – Fairtrade Luxury Kenyan , Robert Roberts
1 star – Darjeeling Earl Grey , Kingfisher Tea – http://www.kingfishertea.com/
1 star – Barry’s Tea Classic Blend , Barry’s Tea
1 star – SuperValu Reserve Fairtrade Tea – produced By Barber Daly , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland
1 star – McGraths Gold Blend , Robert Roberts
1 star – Rich Leaf Green Blend , Robert Roberts
1 star – Lyons Gold Blend – Produced By Unilever , Wilson Hartnell Public Relations
1 star – Barry’s Tea Classic Blend , Barry’s Tea
1 star – Moroccan Mint Green Tea , Kingfisher Tea – http://www.kingfishertea.com/
1 star – Green Yunnan , Java Republic Roasting Company – http://www.javarepublic.com/
1 star – Camillo , Java Republic Roasting Company – http://www.javarepublic.com/
1 star – Peppermint , Java Republic Roasting Company – http://www.javarepublic.com/
1 star – Pure Rooibos Tea – Produced By Keith Spicer Ltd , Bewley’s Ltd.
1 star – Pure Camomile – Produced By Keith Spicer Ltd , Bewley’s Ltd.
1 star – Barry’s Organic Camomile Tea , Barry’s Tea
1 star – Costa/Elsalv Ground Filter , Ponaire Coffee Roastery – http://www.ponaire.ie/
1 star – Mocha Java Blend , McCabe’s Tea and Coffee
1 star – Finnbees Blend , McCabe’s Tea and Coffee – http://www.mccabecoffee.com
1 star – Decaf Java Lintong , Robert Roberts
1 star – Rich Roast Blend , Robert Roberts
1 star – FS Zombi Filter , Java Republic Roasting Company – http://www.javarepublic.com/
1 star – SQ Café Mocha Ground , Java Republic Roasting Company – http://www.javarepublic.com/
1 star – SQ Rich Roast Beans , Java Republic Roasting Company – http://www.javarepublic.com/
1 star – Bewley’s Organic Guatemala , Bewley’s Ltd
1 star – Aldi Specially Selected Single Origin Coffee Java , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – European Espresso , Ponaire Coffee Roastery – http://www.ponaire.ie/
1 star – Segovia Blend , Robert Roberts
1 star – Fairtrade Segovia Blend , Robert Roberts
1 star – Java Supremo , Robert Roberts
1 star – Vivaldi Blend , Robert Roberts
1 star – FS Mezzo Espresso , Java Republic Roasting Company – http://www.javarepublic.com/
1 star – Sutherland Savoury Oatcakes , Christie and Callus Artisan Foods – http://www.onlineoatcakes.com
1 star – O’Donnells Sweet Chilli & Black Pepper Crisps , O’Donnell’s Tipperary Crisps – http://www.odonnellscrisps.com
1 star – SuperValu Supreme Chilli & pepper Crisps – produced By Tayto NI , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland
1 star – Kooky Dough White Chocolate and Cranberry , Kooky Dough Ltd – http://www.kookydough.ie/
1 star – Gookies Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough , Gookies- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gookies/110103285717377 (no website?)
1 star – Maga Homemade Wholemeal Brown bread , Mags Home Baking – http://www.magshomebaking.ie/
1 star – Cottage Brown  , McCloskey’s Bakery – https://www.facebook.com/pages/McCloskeys-Bakery/165896440126246 (no website?)
1 star – Traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread Quarter , Manning’s Bakery – http://www.manningsbakeryshops.ie/
1 star – SuperValu Teabrack – produced By CDF , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland
1 star – Aldi Irish Christmas Pudding , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Holycross Dark Chocolate Buscuit Cake , The Tipperary Kitchen – http://thetipperarykitchen.ie/
1 star – Aldi Specially Selected Apple & Cinnamon Tray Bake , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Aldi Specially Selected Rhubarb Tray Bake , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Chocolate Silk Gateau , Heaven’s Cakes – http://www.englishmarket.ie/traders/confectionery/heavenscakes/(no website?)
1 star – Aldi Specially Selected Luxury Toffee Filled Muffin , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Bran Muffin with Apples , Donnybrook Fair – http://www.donnybrookfair.ie/
1 star – Truffle Fairy Chai Espresso Truffle , The Truffle Fairy – http://www.trufflefairy.com/
1 star – Early Grey Tea , Cocoa Atelier – https://www.facebook.com/cocoaatelier (website contains no information)
1 star – Sarah’s Scrummy Honey with Sour Cherries  , Mileeven Fine Foods – http://www.mileeven.com/
1 star – G’s Gourmet Strawberry Jam , G’s Gourmet Jams  – http://www.gsgourmetjams.ie/
1 star – Abbey Farm Fruits Rhubarb and Ginger , Abbey Farm Fruits – http://www.abbeyfarmfruits.com/
1 star – Abbey Farm Fruits Autumn Fruits , Abbey Farm Fruits – http://www.abbeyfarmfruits.com/
1 star – Apricot Pear & Grand Marnier , Crossogue Preserves  – http://www.crossoguepreserves.com/
1 star – SuperValu Supreme Thin Cut Seville Marmalade – Produced By Follain , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland – http://www.follain.ie/
1 star – Orange Marmalade , Pollocks Pickles and Preserves – http://www.pollockspickles.com/
1 star – Aldi Grandessa Sepcially Selected Seville Orange Irish Marmalade , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Aldi Grandessa Specially Selected Dark Orange Irish Marmalade , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – G’s Gourmet Orange Marmalade  , G’s Gourmet Jams  – http://www.gsgourmetjams.ie/
1 star – Abbey Farm Fruits Breakfast Marmalade  , Abbey Farm Fruits – http://www.abbeyfarmfruits.com/
1 star – Aldi Harvest Morn Luxury Sultana, Apricot & Sunflower Seed Porridge , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Very Berry Granola  , The Foods Of Athenry Ltd. – http://www.foodsofathenry.ie/
1 star – Abbey Farm Fruits Cranberry Sauce  , Abbey Farm Fruits – http://www.abbeyfarmfruits.com/
1 star – Derrycamma Farm Rapeseed Oil , Derrycamma Farm Foods – http://www.rapeseed-oil.ie/
1 star – Derrycamma Rapeseed Oil with Lemon , Derrycamma Farm Foods – http://www.rapeseed-oil.ie/
1 star – Derrycamma Rapeseed Oil with Chilli , Derrycamma Farm Foods – http://www.rapeseed-oil.ie/
1 star – SQ Kalamata Whole Olives in Brine  , Superquinn Ltd.
1 star – SQ Queen Whole Olives in Brine  , Superquinn Ltd.
1 star – Red Pepper Chilly Chutney , Crossogue Preserves  – http://www.crossoguepreserves.com/
1 star – Abbey Farm Fruits Red Pepper Relish  , Abbey Farm Fruits – http://www.abbeyfarmfruits.com/
1 star – Christmas made easy red pepper and tomato chutney for cheese  , Christmas Made Easy – http://www.christmasmadeeasy.ie/
1 star – Inferno Sauce Extreme , Mic’s Chilli Limited – http://www.micschilli.ie/
1 star – Molino Di Ferro Le Veneziane Tomato & Basil Sauce , Lavida Food Ltd – http://www.lavidafood.com/
1 star – Florrie’s Ham Glaze , The Scullery – http://www.tipperaryfoodproducers.com/sweet/thescullery.html (no website?)
1 star – Mr Crumb Cranberries in Port Sauce  , Mr Crumb – http://www.mrcrumb.ie/
1 star – Wiberg Steak Pepper , Wallbridge
1 star – Superquinn Toscani Tapenade , Traditional Cheese Co. Ltd. – http://www.traditionalcheese.ie/
1 star – Tamarind Dip , Nutweave Ltd / Bombay Pantry – https://www.bombaypantry.com
1 star – G’s Gourmet Hot Pepper Dip  , G’s Gourmet Jams  – http://www.gsgourmetjams.ie/
1 star – Hummus , Horgans Delicatessen Supplies – http://www.horgans.com/
1 star – Mr Pettersen’s Raspberry Extra , Mr Pettersen’s Limited Edition – http://www.mrpettersens.com/
1 star – Rocket Dressing , Finders Inn Foods – http://www.bandonfarmersmarket.com/stalls/finders-inn-gourmet-foods/ (no website?)
1 Star – Truly Irish Chestnut Smoked Streaky Rasher , Truly Irish Country Foods
1 star – Smoked Bacon Back , The Carraig na Breac Smokehouse  – https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Carraig-na-Breac-Smokehouse/121005457975763 (website not built)
1 star – Oliver Carty  , Oliver Carty – http://www.olivercarty.ie/
1 star – Rogan’s Whiskey Oakwood Smoked Back Bacon , Rogan’s Smokehouse – http://www.rogansfish.com/
1 star – Dry cured bacon  , O’ Flynns Gourmet Sausage Co. – http://www.oflynnsgourmetsausageco.ie/
1 star – Rudd’s Premium Dry Cure Rashers , Rudd’s Fine Food – http://www.rudds.ie/
1 star – SQ Dry Cure Back Rasher , Honeyvale Foods Limited
1 star – Clonakilty Mild Cure Rashers ( Back) , Clonakilty Black Pudding Company  – http://www.clonakiltyblackpudding.ie/
1 star – Clonakilty Dry Cure Rasher ( Back) , Clonakilty Black Pudding Company  – http://www.clonakiltyblackpudding.ie/
1 Star – Aldi Brannans Specially Selected Traditional Irish Rashers , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Hazelmeade Farm Glensallagh Honeycured Back Bacon , Honeyvale Foods Limited
1 star – SQ Dry Cure Joint , Honeyvale Foods Limited
1 star – Clonakilty Roasting Bacon joint , Clonakilty Black Pudding Company  – http://www.clonakiltyblackpudding.ie/
1 star – Finest Irish Pale Drycure Rashers 200g , Hilton Foods Ireland Limited
1 star – Finest Irish Hickory Smoked Back Rashers 200g , Hilton Foods Ireland Limited
1 star – Finest Irish Smoked Drycure Rashers 200g , Hilton Foods Ireland Limited
1 star – Ham on the bone  , Horgans Delicatessen Supplies – http://www.horgans.com/
1 star – Corned Silverside of Beef , John Downey & Son Organic Quality Foods – http://www.organicfoodsireland.com/
1 star – Aldi Nature’s Isle Select Cut Irish Fillet Steaks , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Superquinn Fillet Steak , Aibp Cahir
1 star – SuperValu Quality Irish Lamb Leg Bank Holiday Roast – Produced By Kepak , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland
1 star – Superquin Sillan or Fresh Corn Fed Chicken with caramelised onion stuffing , Carton Bros Ltd.
1 star – Lamb, Mint & Black Pepper Sausage , Arthur Mallon Foods Ltd – http://www.mallonfoods.com/
1 star – Rudd’s Premium Black Pudding  , Rudd’s Fine Food – http://www.rudds.ie/
1 star – Rudd’s Premium Roulade of Pudding  , Rudd’s Fine Food – http://www.rudds.ie/
1 star – Rosscarbbery Recipes Black Pudding  , Caherbeg Free Range Pork – http://www.caherbegfreerangepork.ie/
1 star – Home-made white pudding , Rigney’s Farm – http://www.rigneysfarm.com/farm_shop.htm
1 star – Gourmet Chicken Pie , Mora Foods Limited – http://www.morafoods.com/
1 star – Beef Empanadas , Mora Foods Limited – http://www.morafoods.com/
1 star – Burren Smoked Organic Gravadlax , Burren Smokehouse Ltd. – http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/
1 Star – Woodcock Smokery Wild Smoked Salmon , Woodcock Smokery – http://www.woodcocksmokery.com/
1 star – Smoked Salmon Wild , Simro Ltd / Wright’s of Howth – http://www.wrightsofhowth.com/
1 star – Smoked Salmon Wild , Simro Ltd / Wright’s of Howth – http://www.wrightsofhowth.com/
1 star – Organic Smoked Salmon with Seaweed , The Kenmare Salmon Company – http://www.kenmare-select.com/
1 star – Herb Cured Smoked Salmon , The Kenmare Salmon Company – http://www.kenmare-select.com/
1 star – Smoked Salmon Farmed , Simro Ltd / Wright’s of Howth – http://www.wrightsofhowth.com/
1 star – Super Valu Smoked Irish Organic Salmon , Dunn’s Seafare – http://www.dunns.ie/
1 star – SuperValu Crab Claws – Produced By Sheel Fish De La Mer , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland- http://www.shellfishireland.com/
1 star – Smoked Scallops , The Kenmare Salmon Company – http://www.kenmare-select.com/
1 star – SQ Irish Crab Meat  , Shellfish De La Mer – http://www.shellfishireland.com/
1 star – Chicken Liver Pate , Donnybrook Fair – http://www.donnybrookfair.ie/
1 star – The Market Chicken Liver & Brandy Pate , The Market Foodstore – http://www.themarket.ie/
1 star – Irish Yoghurts Bio Active Natural Yoghurt , Irish Yogurts Ltd. – http://www.irish-yogurts.ie/
1 star – SuperValu Supreme Spanish Lemon Curd and Irish Cream Yoghurt – Produced By Irish Yoghurts , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland – http://www.irish-yogurts.ie/
1 star – SuperValu Supreme Champagne Rhubarb Yoghurt and Irish Cream – Produced By Irish Yoghurts , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland – http://www.irish-yogurts.ie/
1 star – SuperValu Supreme Senga Strawberry and Irish Cream Yoghurt – Produced By Irish Yoghurts , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland – http://www.irish-yogurts.ie/
1 star – Aldi Duneen Specially Selected West Cork Indulgence Yoghurt – Devon Toffee , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Aldi Duneen Specially Selected Handmade Farmhouse Yoghurt Raspberry , Aldi Stores Ireland Ltd
1 star – Raspbury Yogurt , Killowen t/a Green Valley Farm – http://www.goodfoodireland.ie/Member341/Killowen-Yogurt.html (no website?)
1 star – SQ Blackcurrant Yogurt , Killowen t/a Green Valley Farm – http://www.goodfoodireland.ie/Member341/Killowen-Yogurt.html (no website?)
1 star – Superquinn Irish Cream and lemon curd yoghurt , Irish Yogurts Ltd. – http://www.irish-yogurts.ie/
1 star – Greek Style Yoghurt , Green Pastures (Donegal) – http://www.greenpasturesdonegal.com
1 star – Yeats Country Organic Sour Cream , Green Pastures (Donegal) – http://www.greenpasturesdonegal.com
1 star – Sour Cream , Green Pastures (Donegal) – http://www.greenpasturesdonegal.com
1 star – SQ Indulgent Blgian Chocolate brandy cream with courvoisier vs cognac , Connacht Gold Co-Op
1 star – Cuinneog Farmhouse Irish Country Butter , Cuinneog Ltd. – http://www.cuinneog.com/
1 star – Superquinn Irish organic butter , Connacht Gold Co-Op
1 star – Connacht Gold softer butter , Connacht Gold Co-Op
1 star – Cuinneog Natural Buttermilk , Cuinneog Ltd. – http://www.cuinneog.com/
1 star – Wicklow Baun , Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese Ltd. – http://www.wicklowfarmhousecheeseltd.ie/
1 star – Corleggy KID , Corleggy Cheeses – http://corleggycheeses.com/
1 star – Superquinn Gortnamona , Traditional Cheese Co. Ltd. – http://www.traditionalcheese.ie/
1 star – Kilbeg Dairies Mascarpone Cheese , Kilbeg Dairy Delights – http://www.kilbegdairydelights.ie/
1 star – Durrus Cheese , Durrus Cheese – http://www.durruscheese.com/
1 star – Milleens Dote , Milleens Cheese Ltd. – http://www.milleenscheese.com/
1 star – Paneer , Green Pastures (Donegal) – http://www.greenpasturesdonegal.com
1 star – Superquinn Vintage White Cheddar , Traditional Cheese Co. Ltd. – http://www.traditionalcheese.ie/
1 star – Wexford extra mature , Wexford Creamery Ltd.
1 star – Creeny , Corleggy Cheeses – http://corleggycheeses.com/
1 star – Soft Cheese with Sweet Chilli , Green Pastures (Donegal) – http://www.greenpasturesdonegal.com
1 star – Holycross Butterscotch Sauce , The Tipperary Kitchen – http://thetipperarykitchen.ie/
1 star – SuperValu Supreme Christmas Pudding – Produced By Seerys , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland – http://www.seerys.ie/menuframe.htm
1 Star – Christmas Pudding , The Scullery – http://www.tipperaryfoodproducers.com/sweet/thescullery.html (no website?)
1 star – Superquinn Christmas Plum Pudding , Seerys / Heatherfield Ltd – http://www.seerys.ie/menuframe.htm
1 star – Supreme Christmas Pudding , Seerys / Heatherfield Ltd – http://www.seerys.ie/menuframe.htm
1 star – Simply Better Christmas Pudding , Seerys / Heatherfield Ltd – http://www.seerys.ie/menuframe.htm
1 star – Bakewell Tart , Bramley Lodge – http://www.bramleylodge.ie/
1 star – Christmas made easy chocolate something , Christmas Made Easy – http://www.christmasmadeeasy.ie/
1 Star – Passion fruit delice , Heaven’s Cakes – http://www.englishmarket.ie/traders/confectionery/heavenscakes/(no website?)
1 star – Raspberry and hazlenut roulade , Fusco Foods – http://www.fuscofoods.com/
1 star – Froberry Frozen Yoghurt – Original , Froberry Ltd. – http://www.froberry.com/
1 star – SuperValu Chilled Spaghetti – produced By Gruppo Saporitalia , Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland
1 star – Dee’s Thai Butternut Squash & lentil , Dee’s Wholefoods – http://www.meatfreemondays.ie/
1 star – Vegetarian Chilli  , The Butler’s Pantry – http://www.thebutlerspantry.ie/
1 star – Superquinn Creamy Spinach , Ballymaguire Foods T/A Country Crest
1 star – A Velvet Creamy Tomato Soup , Cully & Sully Ltd. – http://www.cullyandsully.com/
1 star – Gookies Cranberry & White Chocolate Cookie Dough , Gookies – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gookies/110103285717377 (no website?)
1 star – Delicious Pizza Base , Delicious: the Gluten Free Bakery – http://www.delicious.ie/
1 star – Skinny Ceasar  , Bia Blasta – http://biablasta.com/
1 star – Bob’s Red Mill Pure Rolled Oats , Lavida Food Ltd – http://www.lavidafood.com/

There are so many brands there I have not come across – what a strong endorsement of the quality of Irish food production. And look at the number of them who are in the artisan or local food producers world.

Well done to each and every one of them.

Keith

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 30, 2011

Posted under

Great brands and producers, Packaging

Take a shedful of oats and a heap of product innovation..

blah, blah, blah “innovation/innovative”. One of the top 10 buzz words bandied around in all business sectors (and by all semi-state support agencies) all of which have ceased to make an impact on me due to overuse.

But instead watching the shelves of small food retailers you can see actual product innovation in action and it is a delight to witness because those new products will drive turnover, profits and survival.

Oats. Porridge. Traditional. Boring. Wholesome.

What a great place to start :-). This crop should be dead in the water, relegated to the breakfast bars of the old, infirm and incarcerated. However take a look at what a variety of producers have been doing with their oats.

Flahavans – www.flahavans.com

6 generations old and still a legend amongst food producers. I met Mary Flahavan at the Waterford Festival of Food in Dungarvan and then with a couple of their marketing team at a Bord Bia event in Cashel. Very impressed with the people I met and it explains why they have been able to move beyond their traditional product.

This is it. The raw material and the product.

And this is the first twist which caught my eye – moving from cereals into the (somewhat) healthy snacks category which targets school snack boxes I assume. Both these and a non-chocolate version are delicious :-). Good packaging design which carries through the original logo and uses bold photography and strong messaging. Inside are 6 individually wrapped bars.

The second shows the power of partnership – with this 6th generation artisan producer working with a global dairy giant to cater for a growth space in cereals – ready to eat. Good article in Shelflife here on this product range.

Kilbeggan Organic Porridge – www.kilbegganorganicfoods.com

Externally this does not look like innovation – its another identical product (even if organic) for consumers to choose from. However the innovation here can be seen from the other side and is directly connected to Flahavans. Pat Lawlor is a supplier of organic oats to Flahavans where his crop gets blended with other oats.

In January this year (2011) he took the bold step of launching his own brand and he has diverted some of his production into the Kilbeggan Organic Porridge bags.

As Oliver Moore says in his blog post on Pat here “the story of Kilbeggen organic porridge oats is exceptionally interesting. It suggests an alternative to much of what goes as standard practice.”

(excuse the crumpled look – rest assured I am not trying for a metrosexual vibe here)

Dorset Cereals – www.dorsetcereals.co.uk

Picking up on the Ready to Eat/convenience trend in the cereal space we can find a different approach from this UK based business. Their product range is massive but this one caught my eye. The strong colours, catchy graphics and large fonted simple text worked really well for me. Taking the standard product, reworking it with some added ingredients and doubtless bumping up gross margins.

Nairn’s – www.nairns-oatcakes.com

Another UK based business and a product back on the snack side – but this time a more adult version. Or certainly not a school bag lunch treat. The Nairn’s oat biscuits are a natural extension from Oat Cakes but look at this packaging and design – lifts it straight into a luxury space.

This is a newly emerging redesign of this range for them – there are a mixture of it and the older designs still kicking around.

MacSween – www.macsween.co.uk

Have to include at least one product here which you are mostly likely never to have heard of :-). MacSween have been making Haggis for over 50 years and in 1984 they introduced this Vegetarian Haggis which includes the core ingredient of oats together with a multiplicity of others.

It’s delicious. Not that I have compared it to the original. A more recent development is their 1 minute haggis – two slices of tasty vegetarian haggis in a unique microwavable pack.

Oatly – www.oatly.com

For the last example we are leaving these Islands and moving north to Scandanavia – specifically to Sweden. Another model behind this range of products – a research collaboration with Lund University in Sweden.

I wonder are their research projects in Ireland at present which would lead to such a strong and unique business being launched? We may well have a dairy heritage but there is no reason why Ireland cannot innovate in the same way and tap into strong emerging trends internationally which demand slightly different approaches to consumer products.

This is a full range of foods and drinks which are in the “dairy milk substitute” category. The photo below shows a couple of examples from a Coop store in Stockholm I visited recently while the first product I came across from Oatly was a one litre tetrapak Oat Milk.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it – I have been saving up oat based products for a while to include in this (and because of my artisan leanings I have ignored obvious examples such as the Weetabix Oatabix range).

There is a world of opportunity out there which do not necessarily need farmers to change the crops they are traditionally growing – instead it needs imagination and investment in developing partnerships or new consumer brands from scratch.

That stuff is not easy – in fact it is really difficult to do well. But if the alternative is stagnating markets and declining profit margins (or higher losses) then it is good to see what can be achieved. If your fancy has been tickled then check out the Bord Bia Foresight Program which supports new product devleopment.

Keith

PS – I don’t even want to get started on why porridge (which takes 2 to 3 minutes to cook on a stove) needs to be reworked into a 1 minute microwave version. No thanks 😦

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 25, 2011

Posted under

Packaging

Comments

2 Comments

Book Review – “What is Packaging Design?” by Giles Calver

Enjoying a 2 week break in Stockholm and that gave me the opportunity to explore a design and architectural bookshop where I found “What is Packaging Design”. I had been wanting to read something like this for a while – to give my guts feelings on good and bad design a more solid foundation.

This book was a great start – I really enjoyed it and could see so much thought-provoking information in there for local and artisan food producers and the people working in them who have to manage packaging design processes. It is not exclusively about food but that does not matter – every principle in there can be applied to food products and well over half of his case studies are of food.

I have done a very brief summary which contains some of the points which I underlined while reading it. This does not do the book justice – you need to buy it for yourself if you have an interest in this topic!

Biabeag review of what is packaging design

Keith

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 26, 2011

Posted under

Great brands and producers, Packaging

Same category, different approaches. Organic childrens yogurt

This fascinates me – the different packaging design approaches to an identically positioned product.

Glenisk – www.glenisk.com

Personally I am finding this kinda messy – but I don’t doubt for a second that it is effective.

Rachel’s – http://www.rachelsorganic.co.uk/

For me much clearer messaging = strong fruit statement, very readable text and parent-appealing shot of baby.

I do wonder which is more effective – or have the two brands differentiated the market by targeting different profiles within the organic food purchasing parent population?

As a by the way check out their respective homepages for a quick comment on brand consistency:

To my untrained eye the Glenisk packaging is very much at variance with the website (which itself could do with a rework and update to make it more consistent) and even the Rachel’s website contains subtle brand design references which are not yet reflected in this packaging.

I guess this is the bane of marketing peoples lives – having a large product portfolio and multiple channels/manifestations of the the brand which all need updating once the core brand design and messaging are changed.

Keith

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 26, 2011

Posted under

Great brands and producers, Packaging

Comments

1 Comment

Killowen Farm packaging and brand redesign

Made for Biabeag – a side by side placing on the fridge shelf of the before and after packaging for Killowen Farm. (I cannot find a website for them, however this link (direct to pdf) gives a little more information)

This redesign was launched in April this year as far as I can tell and seems to have involved:

* Significant work on the main logo to make it much more contemporary in terms of font and colour.

* Addition of the word Farm to the logo to add to the positioning and provenance

* A black and white image of the farm (I assume) to tap into the authenticity message

* Colour ingredient shot to make visual identification clearer

On the back of the pack:

Here we have a update in the story being told to:

* Pick up the name of the family involved (the Dunnes)

* Handcrafted is new, as is the highlighting of no colours, preservatives or additives

* Carried over is the word unique and the phrase smooth, rich milk

Like the new design a lot – much more effective.

Keith

 

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 12, 2011

Posted under

Great brands and producers, Packaging

Brand consistency across products and ranges

This is a tricky post for a non-designer to write because I do not have the training nor the vocabulary to express some of my thoughts in this area.

However it is an area of great concern for artisan and local foods brands as they start to expand. The voice of the brand needs to be consistent across channels and when expressed by different people and on the shelf-edge products across different categories need to be readily identifible.

Why?

Speaking as a consumer (the hat I wear most easily) I need food brands to help me. While I spend more time than the average person when shopping for food I can still be in a hurry at times. And given that time pressure I need to very quickly be able to visually identify my favorite brands on the shelf-edge almost sub-consciously.

What makes that difficult to achieve?

Lots of stuff. A small brand’s products being scattered across categories (unlike some bigger brands who get to impose merchandising standards and some cohesion in display because of their leverage) and inconsistency of placing in different shops and stores.

And then there is bad design – for example subtle visual aids which work for a designer on their computer but which cannot be picked up in a quick scan in-store.

Implementation case-study – Cooleeney Cheese

The following 9 slides were presented by founder Breda Maher at a recent Bord Bia event in Cashel which I was on the panel for. That link brings you to a page where you can see more details and download the other presentations which were really good. This was the stated objective of the work:

To create a brand identity for Cooleeney that would bring the range together in an impactful way to drive consumer brand awareness

Some background on Breda’s presentation from my notes:
The redesign was prompted by feedback from a new and potentially big continental customer who said that the products were superb but that the branding was a disaster.

Breda used a mentor from Bord Bia and complemented that with their Foresight4food research service. The design work was done by Dynamo and research methods used included focus groups, accompanied trips and online focus groups.

Really interesting point for me which Breda shared quite openly was that Breda had to pause the project for her to catch up with the brand ideas which were being presented. After that pause of 8 weeks, during which time she gave herself the space to rejig her head around the new visual presentation of the brand, she restarted the process and was able to fully commit to it.

To ensure the rebrand did not harm sales a marketing plan was developed because of the dramatic changes to the brand – both in terms of perception and also actual issues around being found on the shelf.

The rebrand has been a tremendous success and was complimented from the floor afterwards.

In contrast, a brand which challenged me on the shelf-edge

This is tricky to write because it challenges an Irish brand’s design but made easier by the fact that the brand concerned (Lakeshore) was a great artisan brand but has since been sucked into the Boyne Valley Group.

This was prompted by a shopping session in my local Supervalu where I noticed that the Lakeshore brand was represented in a number of categories on a single isle – but that I could not spot the brand products in each category without working really hard at it.

So I took some photos to flesh out a future post (this one) and when I looked back at them discovered something interesting. I was apparently wrong…

Absolute consistency. Logo, font, photography. All perfect with the benefit of hindsight, big photos and time to review them in detail.

So I was sitting down to write this post and discovered that I was about to make an ass of myself – my evidence would contradict me 😦

Yet I know that I did have issues in the store. And so got to thinking about an area I know a little more about. The design of websites where individual logical elements work on the web designers screen yet when presented en-mass to end users the overall site doesn’t.

My conclusion

And that is what (I think) is happening here. The logo is consistent – but it is white and gold on a black background, it is small in scale and the graphic is almost invisible on a quick look. So in the absence of a clearly distinguishing logo to anchor my shelf-scanning I am left with consistent font and photography which is very professional but the combination is probably  too bland on the white background.

That’s it – a long post and unhappy that I cannot pin that last piece down. I just don’t know if the issue I identified for me with Lakeshore is shared by others and also don’t know if my observations are actually valid.

Feedback very welcome 🙂

Keith

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 8, 2011

Posted under

Events, Great brands and producers

Comments

1 Comment

Totally. Tipperary > 25th June 2011

It is the time of festivals and throughout the length and breath of Ireland people are gathering to enjoy themselves and indulge in good food and drink.

The folk in Tipperary did’st notice this and, inspired by their neighbours in Kilkenny (that happens a lot) decided to go one better in 2011 with a food festival nestled into Cloughjordan and their eco-village.

Why would you go? Maybe for the Seomra Bia Blog – a selection of Irelands talented food blogs giving cooking demonstrations, maybe to talk to the good people from GIYIreland but most of all to sample the delights of the wide ranging selection of food producers from Tipperary.

James Whelan Butchers
Crowe’s Farm
Una O’Dwyers Traditional Sausages
Seymour Organic
Inch House
Con Traas
Brownes
Karmine Apple Juice
Ponaire Coffee
Red Nose Wine
Hickeys Craft Bakery
Crossogue Preserves
The Scullery
Cashel Blue Cheese
Cooleeney Cheese
The Cookie Jar
Holycross Good Food
Mags’ home baking
Tipperary Organic Ice Cream
Boulaban Ice cream
Sarah Baker Cookery School

For one county that is some list :-). More information and ticket booking here.

Keith