by Maria Dubuc
For the last few years, MBD has partnered with Sprouts Farmers Market to refresh various product categories across their retail brand. One of our newest design launches is a line that MBD is particularly proud of and excited to celebrate: Sprouts Mexican Global Cuisine!
The Mexican Global Cuisine line is among the first fully integrated global line for Sprouts Own Brands. The product offerings span across four categories and 17 SKUs, which includes taquera sauces, enchilada sauces, fire roasted salsas, and refried beans. Since these Mexican items are the first of many to come groundbreaking Global Cuisine offerings, MBD wanted to set the stage with a spectacular design that would not only sell well but would introduce shoppers to a new culturally-vibrant world at Sprouts.
Though we were thrilled to work on such a robust program, we were also aware of the biggest challenge: How do you tastefully and thoughtfully design an authentic line in a space where genuine products can look cheap or worse, culturally insensitive?
Since these products are all authentically made with Mexican ingredients, MBD first focused our design development on finding some associations US people have with Mexico. What are the cultural nods that convey Mexican authenticity that are widely understood? We settled on using the “papel picado” as our main feature.
“Papel picado” literally means ‘punched’ or ‘perforated’ paper. The traditional cut paper folk art is found throughout Mexico and has become a symbol of Mexican tradition. This motif felt appropriate for these products because they’re items that you would find at the same places where you’d see the papel picado: on the streets or in the home.
We created a chili peppers icon to indicate heat level as this was an important feature of the Global Mexican Cuisine and one that we found to be relevant to many Mexican food products as spice level is very key when shopping for each item.
The final, and arguably the most important, aspect of this line is that each product was uniquely shot and styled so that we could ensure the traditional recipes were reflected and illustrated for customers in search of an authentic, fresh product. Actual product can sometimes be tricky to photograph because the quality is compromised but not these authentic Mexican items – they show real authentic flavor!
Once we established a cohesive line look, it was time to assess each individual product category. This line spanned across 4 different types of products — Taquero Sauce (5 SKUs), Fire Roasted Salsa (5 SKUs), Refried Beans (4 SKUs), Enchilada/Mole Sauce (3 SKUs).
The Taquero sauces were highlighted as a meal addition to different types of food including tacos, grilled meats, eggs or even as a marinade. This group of products are framed as a line of flavors you would find at your favorite taqueria or Mexican restaurant. Similarly, fire roasted salsas are highlighted to compliment authentic Mexican dishes, bringing out vibrant and fresh flavors, easily made with simple ingredients.
To round out the flavor enhancing products, we focused on enchilada sauces. The three traditional flavors are roja, verde and mole. Each SKU has a very different flavor profile, requiring MBD to develop unique cues as differentiators for the consumer.
Finally, the organic refried beans completed the collection as the first side dish within the set. The refried beans (which can conveniently be made in 60 seconds!) offer a homestyle experience by showcasing their organic and creamy texture, and they are packaged in a pouch that is free from BPA lining.
While each product brings something different to the set, each one is united under the authenticity, freshness and convenience of the Mexican Global Cuisine line. Each category exhibits an authentic and vibrant design, helping them stand out on shelf and create a cohesive look for the product line, building a foundation for future global lines.
