& Samhoud Food

Creative Agency: MAS // Design Consultancy.
Client: & samhoud food
Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands
Project Type: Commercial Work
This project is made in collaboration with freelance designers Bart Nagel and Henrik of
der Zwet, brand strategist Jasper Ordelman

&samhoud food would like to inspire people to eat less meat and more vegetables by bringing surprising fresh meals and meat substitutes to the market.

With their fresh meals and meat substitutes, &samhoud food are playing within the new food trend whereby the consumer is consciously choosing a healthier and more sustainable diet with more vegetables. Unlike other prepackaged meals, there are more than 200 grams of vegetables in the fresh meals from &samhoud food and this gives them a unique position in the market. This distinguishing factor was not being fully conveyed on the packaging and for this reason &samhoud asked us to reshape the line of packaging for the two product categories ‘fresh meals’ and ‘meat substitutes’.

Recognisability & uniformity
The challenge with this project was that the products lie in different sections in the supermarket. The fresh meals can be found on the fresh food shelf, whereas the meat substitutes are displayed on the vegetarian shelf. The packaging of the products had to, therefore, be recognisable and maintain uniformity but at the same time, each product group needed to keep its own identity. And of course, the fresh vegetables needed to visually burst out. We wanted the fresh meals packaging to exude the ease and comfort of a restaurant, whereas for the meat substitutes we opted for a more casual snack or diner feel. The photography also differs per product group. The packaging of the meat substitutes shows the prepared final product, in contrast with the fresh meals whereby we have shown the vegetables and other ingredients in their purest form. The fresh meal looks tasty in itself and requires no photo to seduce.

Natural look
We also made good and thoughtful choices in the aspects of material and communications. For a fresh and natural look, the sleeve is made of a double-sided uncoated carton with a perforated edge so it can be easily dismantled. The sleeves have also been printed on the inside to surprise and inspire the consumer with cooking tips, vegetable facts and menu suggestions from two Michelin star chef Moshik Roth. In addition, the other products from that range are being shown on the inside of the sleeve so that the consumer becomes familiar with what else is on offer.

Food logo
&samhoud comprises several industries that all have the same blue corporate logo. This did not reflect the food and brand experience that we wanted to develop. Products for consumers, and thus the packaging, ask for a trademark. Therefore, we have designed a powerful food logo that possesses the main features of the corporate logo but also exudes authority and calm.

Those products are available at Albert Heijn in the Netherlands.

&samhoud food is food with a vision
&samhoud food would like to inspire people to eat less meat and more vegetables by bringing surprising fresh meals and meat substitutes to the market. In this way, they are making it easier and more attractive to make responsible choices and to contribute to a better future: Better for you and for the world!