When the world was yearning for better snack options, our client walked in with a singular purpose - to become the king of makhanas. What did we do? Build the beloved household name, at home and abroad, to pack health and flavour into every unassuming packet.
Brand Strategy
Nomenclature
Brand Strategy
Packaging Design
FMCG
Move aside boring old chips, snacks come with a side of functionality now.
As more and more consumers started reading the back of the packet, every brand knew it was time to take drastic measures and clean up the ingredients they peddled. This spearheaded a race to be the best vegan, gluten-free, no added sugar, no palm oil, low calorie, full taste brand in existence - A race that can’t be won in the lab, but might just grow out of the ground.
That’s what our client was after, making the makhana everyone’s go to super snack. But how to decode the noise of the market they were entering?
Exploring the unknown
Today, the total addressable market of Indian snacks amounts to INR 46000 Crores, and is continually growing at a CAGR of 8%. In such a vast landscape, brands are likely to flood every niche available at their disposal. However, when it came to makhanas, the sector still remained entirely unorganized.
Since there was no one brand standing at the forefront of the makhana market, we turned to the snacks aisle in its entirety, within the realm of metropolitan cities to kick off our research. What do people pick when the clock strikes 4 o’clock? What are mothers packing in tiffins, and what goes on the shelves of your neighborhood kiraana store?
* Though don’t take our word for it, here’s the …
[ Source https://www.indianretailer.com/article/whats-hot/retail-trends/top-5-snacking-trends-in-india.a7779 ]
But where is this super snack coming from?
The humble origin story
90% of India’s makhana production comes from Bihar, especially the Mithilanchal region, including Darbhanga, Purnea, Saharsa, Sitamarhi, Supaul, Araria, and Kishanganj.
Unknowingly, the story of this brand became intertwined with the tale of the farmers who devote their lives to this popped lotus seed. That’s when we knew, Bihar had to come front and center in our narrative.
From Bihar, to the world
The international market for fox nuts is expected to reach USD 100M by 2032. In this emerging landscape, consumers are constantly looking for a healthier popcorn-like snack off the shelf in the West, a key determinant for our client’s journey abroad.
In fact, the makhana madness exists outside of the West as well. Be it Martillo, makhana sold as a Colombian street snack, or the crystallized lotus seeds you’ll find at Chinese New Year, the fox nut craze pervades across continents.
That’s how we reached the cornerstone of this brand’s strategy
Farm to table, makhana-fied
The foundation of this brand has always been true to the roots of the makhana. We traced the steps back to the lotus pond where seeds are harvested and studied the voyage of this mighty seed till it reaches your hands at the end of the day.
That’s how we developed the illustration that proved to be the spine of the brand’s entire design language. Inspired by the visuals of an actual Bihari village, the gritty and unpolished folksy drawing comes together in a black & white scene.
But what’s the title of this story?
Time to bring this brand to life
It took many days, nights, and iterations to arrive at what we now call the Mr Makhana logo. The lowest hanging fruit of the traditional mascot was quickly overridden by a much more nuanced typeface approach. We wanted this logo to seamlessly fit with the illustration language and strategy devised, allowing for the quirks of a twirly mustache and an allusion to broad biceps in the customized condensed font.
Content
