Enhancing artisan incomes by building a gourmet salt business for salt pan farmers in the Little Rann Of Kutch, India.
A detailed view of this poster presentation is available here.
Final Developed Branding and Packaging for the hand-crafted 'Earth Kutch Salt'.
Documenting the design process for a 'Business Design for Social Impact' diploma project. The project involved developing a business plan, business strategy, marketing strategy, branding and packaging for the sale of salt. This salt is hand-crafted in the Little Rann of Kutch, India, by the Agariya community. The designed business aims to impact the lives of the salt pan workers.
Documentation/Project Thesis - details of process, creative decisions and arrival at final outcome.
Mind-Map of gathered information to identify opportunities for design intervention.
To more about the client for this project, SABRAS, click here.
By implementing the proposed packaging, distribution, and marketing strategies,
The Agariyas would earn 10 Rupees
instead of 14 paise for 1kg of salt.
instead of 14 paise for 1kg of salt.
Qualitative market analysis based on potential customer interviews.
Key Insight: Salt is what makes food taste better; Without salt, food is tasteless.
Core customers prefer less processed foods and appreciate hand-crafted products.
Final Name and Logo
'Ekatra' means to collect, or together.
The Logo is inspired from the patterns created in the salt pans during the raking process.
The name, logo and packaging aim to add to the hand-crafted value of the salt; To highlight the beauty in its irregular form(beauty in its imperfection).
Please click the following links to view the branding, naming, logo design, and packaging process in detail.
These four flavours were decided upon for two reasons:
1. The ingredients for these flavours are locally grown, near the Little Rann of Kutch - which would help reduce transport costs.
2. Garlic, Fennel and Chilli are ingredients that Inidan consumers are familiar with and would be more open to trying first. The smoked salt would be new and unique. More flavours such as pepper, vanilla, and lemon, could be introduced over the next phases of the Business Plan.
The branding and packaging, as mentioned before, aimed to highlight the beauty in the imperfection of the irregular crystals. The Agariyas are toiling in the salt-pans for 8 months of the year. The packaging is simple and brings out the hand-crafted value of the salt. The salt products would be packaged by hand by the Agariy community itself; Providing an additional source of income to the youngest and oldest mothers who stay home, as well as to the community as a whole during the off-season.
Every 'Ekatra' salt product would include an informative tag/booklet. The text in the booklet would explain the origin of the salt, the quality of the salt as well as which food preparations it can be used in.
Flavoured salt sachets.
500g and 1kg packaging for the salt.
The 500g packet is additionally packaged with a mortar and pestle in the box as shown above.Since this is a crystal salt, the experience of grinding and then using the salt is unique.
100g of the salt packaged in a bottle with a grinder cap would be places at tables in high-end gourmet restaurants along with an informative tent card.
100g packaging for flavoured salts.
In situ mock-up of the products.
Customers would first be introduced to this product in high-end gourment restaurants. Tent card, grinder bottle and sachet box to be kept on tables in restaurants.
This is mainly for promotional purposes and user experiece of the salts, however, the sachet box would be available for purchase on request at the restaurant itself.
Scenario:
• A couple is seated in their favourite restaurant.
• A bottle of crystal earth salt with a grinder cap is at their table.
• The product is an artisanal salt made in Kutch.
• They are eager to try this new aesthetically appealing product.
• Upon trying, the burst of flavour to their food impresses them.
• They also see an informative tent card placed on their table.
• The hand-harvested gourmet quality of the salt appeals to them.
• The couple is excited that it also comes in various flavours.
• Eager to know more, they learn that it is currently an exclusive product - Being sold to gourmet restaurants only. (Not available in grocery stores yet).
• This strategy builds on the uniqueness of the artisanal earth salt, And creates a sense of mystery and exclusivity about its availability and use.
Scenario:
• A couple is seated in their favourite restaurant.
• A bottle of crystal earth salt with a grinder cap is at their table.
• The product is an artisanal salt made in Kutch.
• They are eager to try this new aesthetically appealing product.
• Upon trying, the burst of flavour to their food impresses them.
• They also see an informative tent card placed on their table.
• The hand-harvested gourmet quality of the salt appeals to them.
• The couple is excited that it also comes in various flavours.
• Eager to know more, they learn that it is currently an exclusive product - Being sold to gourmet restaurants only. (Not available in grocery stores yet).
• This strategy builds on the uniqueness of the artisanal earth salt, And creates a sense of mystery and exclusivity about its availability and use.
To read more about the business plan, unit costing, and financial projection, please click here.
Project Displayed at The Srishti Collective 2015 exhibition - The Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad, Bangalore
