Tag Archives: middle east

Old world sweets discover the new world.

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In 1860, Mohammad Zalatimo opened a pastry shop in Jerusalem, not far from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The shop made favorite middle-eastern sweets like Mamul, Baklava, Barazik and Greibeh.

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Four generations later, the Zalatimo family sought out MOI (Mark Oliver, Inc.) to prepare the brand for entry to the U.S. market. The unique selling proposition was simple: Old World sweets come to America. The finest locally-sourced natural ingredients, no artificial ingredients or preservatives, and every single one of the sweets handmade. The target was natural and specialty food consumers.

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The objective of the positioning, branding and packaging was to show the artisanal qualities of the product while projecting an image of high quality using a modern design palette that would appeal to the consumer. In other words, we wanted a look not too old, not too new.

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A rich burgundy matches the color of the traditional packaging used in the middle east, while modern fonts and playful cadmium yellow stripes bring attention to the package. The handmade products are featured prominently on each package and promote the appetite appeal of the sweets.

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Previous packaging.

Tarazi Falafel Mix: Making something old new again.

Tarazai is found in specialty and ethnic food stores nationwide. For the past 40 years, consumers have used the traditional middle eastern mix of ground chickpeas and fava beans 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.

The management at Tarazi noticed the increase in interest in Falafel 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.

An additional challenge the team discovered 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.

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.

As agency CEO Mark Oliver noted, “this refreshing design creates the impact and interest to pull a consumer to a great old product, now new again.”