Koor designs the packaging for Tere’s new range of plant-based dairy substitutes
The way we eat is changing, with the integration of milk substitutes, for lactose intolerance, the vegan diet, but also more and more simply by preference and the search for more sustainable products.
And it’s not just a niche demand. Forecasts indicate that by 2023, non-dairy sales in the US will account for one-fifth of projected dairy sales, making non-dairy a multi-billion dollar industry.
Among the main options (rice milk, soya milk and almond milk), oat milk performs very well in terms of environmental impact, with the best overall results when considering emissions, land and water use. And its sweetness also makes it a perfect combination with coffee.
Tere AS was the first dairy industry in Estonia to launch a fresh oat drink, which, unlike other vegetable drinks, can only be found on milk counters. In addition, the new oat drink tastes more like traditional milk thanks to a special preparation technology.
“Tere has been making traditional dairy products for 20 years, and in recent years we have paid great attention to lactose-free products so that people can choose from a wide range,” says Liina Kimmel, Head of Product Innovation at Tere AS. “Additionally, the growing generation has made us pay more and more attention to the footprint we leave on this planet. In addition to the usual product characteristics, their purchase decision is influenced by whether the company also operates sustainably. ”
Introducing new alternatives to dairy products to the Estonian market is a difficult challenge because Estonians love traditional milk. “We paid a lot of attention to the fact that the taste properties of the plant-based alternatives would not be too foreign to people who have so far only consumed traditional dairy products. The new product range is suitable for vegans, but above all we want to offer a new and interesting alternative to today’s dairy consumers”, says Liina Kimmel.
“Koor is our long-term partner, they know our brand story and the logic behind packaging designs.”
According to Katrin Tamm, head of sustainibility at Nordic Milk, the main problem to be solved in this project was to combine two clear objectives : “the new design concept had to be different from our traditional dairy range and be attractive to the younger generation and people who value sustainability”, and at the same time “the new plant-based series had to be sold in the traditional dairy shelves as an alternative to traditional dairy products”.
How did Koor solve the problem? “They offered us eight different designs starting from traditional versions to a very modern look. We moved forward with two traditional designs and one modern design and it was a bit of a surprise for us also that we ended up with the most modern version, which was recommended by Koor”, says Katrin Tamm.
Hannes Paesoo, founding partner and art director at Koor, explains how the agency arrived at this result: “As always, we worked using our 5-step S.P.I.C.E toolkit to respect the brand-book guidelines and create an impactful facing that increases the turnover. We decided to opt for a bold and playful aesthetic — for more impact and contrast on the conservative shelves. We combined this with a healthy dose of natural feeling and friendly, approachable illustrations. The cream base colour was chosen to represent oats and give an extra creamy feeling. We used bold icons that help to clearly communicate usage ideas to new consumers.”
“Fresh oat drink was a big success — we got a lot of nice feedback about the product and the packaging”
According to Katrin Tamm, “Fresh oat drink was a big success — we got a lot of nice feedback about the product and the packaging. The best way to show its popularity — we won “The Best Plant-based Product 2021” award that is based on web-questionnaire and the “Best Plant-based product new launch” by Nielsen.”
Koor. Award-winning packaging design agency with Nordic roots.
We specialised in FMCG / Food & Beverage, with more than 10 years of successful experience in the Nordics and Central Europe and we are now operating in Switzerland.
Based on a proven creative methodology S.P.I.C.E, you will finally get the packaging that will perfectly support your brand AND your sales. You don’t have to choose anymore between a pack respecting your brand-book guidelines or an impactful facing that increases the turnover. Our 5-steps-design-toolkit S.P.I.C.E (Story, Positioning, Impact, Competition, Emotion) is the guaranty you can combine both objectives on a packaging.
In the last eight years, we have received 39 International packaging awards, including NAPA awards, Golden Egg awards, ADC*E awards, SIP awards and IWSC awards.
Contact Julien Basselier, managing director of Koor Switzerland for any questions or enquiries: julien@koor.eu or 0041(22)5753336.
