Minas Cheese (Student Project)

Designer: Iwana Raydan
Project Type: Student Project
School: Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais
Course: Product Design
Tutors: Paulo Miranda and Pedro Nascimento
Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Packaging Materials: Bended wood (laser cut), thin-plate

Traditional cheeses are characterized by strong links to their territory of origin. The traditional cheese from the state of Minas Gerais is one of the most popular cheeses produced in Brazil, with a long history of manufacturing. Cheese ripening is a stage in cheesemaking process, and it is responsible for the distinct flavour of cheese, and through the modification of “ripening agents”, determines the features that define many different varieties of cheeses, such as taste, texture, and body.

Brazilian legislation prohibits the production of cheese manufactured with raw milk except for those types of cheese that have a maturation period grater than 60 days. The packaging for artisanal Minas cheese sought after formal solutions to a packaging that would help the alternatively cheese maturation, working as a ripening box. The wood applied to the cover reproduce the rustic look that resembles the traditional way of making cheese in Minas Gerais farms. Cheese needs a warm, moist environment with proper air circulation in order to maturate. The laser cut made in the wood not only allows the air circulation, but has also aesthetic function. The laser cut surface is inspired by the brazilian handmade knitting, the Cobogó (element originally made of concrete or ceramic, created as a solution to ventilate rooms, tipical from the Brazilian Modernism), the mountains of Minas Gerais and the state’s flag.

What’s Unique?
The packaging for artisanal Minas cheese sought after formal solutions to a packaging that would help the alternatively cheese maturation, working as a ripening box. Which means it’s not only a packaging, but also a product that supports the artisanal cheese making, improving the user’s experience on eating this traditional artisanal product.

Additional Credits
Leticia Robini, a friend of mine and a great Graphic Designer and Illustrator helped me with the Minas brand. Thanks, Leticia!