Tarazi
Services: Branding, Packaging Design, Production Supervision (PDF Case Study)

Tarazi is found in specialty and ethnic food stores nationwide. For the past 40 years, consumers have used the traditional middle eastern falafel mix and tahini to recreate the familiar dishes they grew up with or left behind in their native countries.

But not long ago a funny thing happened. Falafel began showing up in restaurants and food trucks in places like New York City. A generation of new users is emerging eager to consume at home the foods they’ve grown to enjoy when eating out, or during travels abroad. Home-made hummus from tahini is increasingly popular within the natural channel.

The management at Tarazi noticed the increase in interest in these products and asked MOI to help them expand the brand appeal to new markets. The challenge for the team at MOI was to refresh the brand to appeal to the new consumer while not alienating the old one—the more traditional buyer of middle-eastern products.

An additional challenge the team discovered in the case of falafel was the need to separate the product from “protein substitute” products. Research showed that traditional consumers and younger ones alike were attracted to the product because of its great taste and traditional nature, not because it made a good veggie burger or meat substitute.

Falafel and vegetables tumbling into the open pita signify the fresh taste experience consumers expect while portraying the well-known use of falafel. Reference to meat substitutes was dropped, and copy was added on the benefits of the product. For the tahini, showing the products that could be made or would complement the product were necessary visual cues to its usage.

The trademark was redrawn with proper letterforms, but retained the feel of the old logo for past consumers. The crisp and clean presentation sets the product apart from others in the ethnic foods section.

This refreshing design creates the impact and interest to pull a consumer to a great old product, now new again.

Old Tarazi Package