What happens when you combine an experimental foodie with a crew of hungry college kids in search of 100% organic foods? A whole lot of hope for a good snack and a very delicious outcome. Insert Hope Foods, a Colorado snack company founded by a group of healthy, food-loving friends. What started out as a weekend hobby selling a few tubs of hummus at the local Boulder Farmer’s Market has grown into a national organic food company in just under a decade. True to their calling to create, they have developed 8 disruptive hummus flavors and 3 delicious takes on guacamole.
So, when they came to us with their latest invention, we were eager to dive in. The task was to introduce a new, innovative nut dip to the market under a brand that was best known for hummus. Hope’s new Cashew & Almond dips are a fresh and healthy new way to snack without any guilt. Using cold pressure with state-of-the-art HPP technology they have delicious texture, retain freshness and provide nutritional value without artificial additives. All that said, it was a lofty challenge and time was not on our side.
How do we capture HOPE Foods ethos and differentiators on a small container?
Healthy and nutritious lifestyle choices are on the rise, and we know those choices are important to our target audience. This brought us to challenge number one. How do we capture HOPE Foods ethos and differentiators on a small container? So, we established key messaging points both visually and through copy and used the bottom of the package for some extra real estate. Use of flavor cues with imagery and the most impactful messaging points, our label design accommodated all information, with breathing room to spare.
Challenge number two was how to differentiate the nut dips from the well-established hummus line. We knew that visually, HOPE hummus was known for its use of bright color, helping it to stand out on shelf. To maintain that brand recognition, but give nut dips a defined, cohesive look, we used a dark brown base color across the entire nut dip product line with pops of bright color that complemented the hummus line. This not only sewed a consistent thread across all product lines, but the dark brown aligned the new product to having a nut base, creating a subtle flavor cue.
It was important to educate the consumer on what they were purchasing and the various ways to use it. First, it’s a nut dip, not hummus.
Challenge number three was the product itself. Being new to the market and the first of its kind in many stores, it was important to educate the consumer on what they were purchasing and the various ways to use it. As such, it was important to not only have product imagery communicating nuts (cashews & almonds), but to emphasize key consumer-facing placements “Cashew & Almond Dip”. We then capitalized on unused label space to list all the ways that it could be used with a link to see more recipes.
Lastly, and what some might say was the hardest challenge, this all needed to be done in two weeks. Dynamic design thinking, creative problem solving and a close collaboration with the team led to a successful launch. Before the first batch of product even hit shelves, HOPE had 15,000 distribution points locked down and 4,300 stores nationwide excited to receive their first shipment. Needless to say, we cracked the nut on snack dips for HOPE Foods.
