The Focus
MTR Foods was foraying into the ready-made south-Indian batters segment with a series of fresh offerings that challenged conventions of authentic time-tested recipes.
Wished to have a distinctive yet sound and convenient packaging structure to contain these batters
A large variety of factors, from storage-friendliness to ease of transportation – along with user convenience needed to be considered
The Design
The team at Elephant devised a packaging structure after having studied batter packaging and its usage in every possible situation.
Decided to opt for a structure that eliminated maximum pain points in terms of usage patterns – from storage to opening.
The team’s prior experience with the MTR brand and alternative packaging helped in slotting the ‘Minute Fresh’ segment into their existing arsenal, while remaining distinctive on retail shelves and ecommerce screens.
The Story
The name MTR Foods is undoubtedly famous. Given the popularity and impact of south-Indian staples like Idlis and Dosas on a nationwide scale, its hard to not encounter the brand’s offerings – be it within their restaurants, or their RTE segment.
From its humble background, MTR diversified in 1975 and started to sell ready-to-eat foods like chutneys and Rasam. These new format staples managed to stay authentic in their taste, making them immensely accessible.
“MTR approached Elephant, a team that has been a partner in MTR’s leadership journey for nearly a decade to create a distinctive and user-friendly packaging structure for their range of Idli and Dosa Batters under the ‘MTR Minute Fresh’ portfolio.”
Today, an exhaustive range of RTE products can be found on supermarket shelves far and wide. But the subject of our case study arrived in 2021, when MTR announced that it would be entering the ‘Battle of the Batters’, a jovial term coined by industry pundits. MTR then
approached Elephant, a team that has been a partner in MTR’s leadership journey for nearly a decade to create a distinctive and user-friendly packaging structure for their range of Idli and Dosa Batters under the ‘MTR Minute Fresh’ portfolio.
Enabling Authenticity
With the packaging identity taking on the visual architecture of MTR Minute Meals, the legacy element became quite important. Dosas and Idlis are in a league of their own as far as culinary delights go. Despite that, MTR’s offerings have successfully appealed to those who value only originality in terms of taste – or have grown up consuming them as staple foods. These recipes are directly based on the signature, time-tested fare which fuels the legacy of the brand we see today.
“The team began by keenly studying all forms of existing batter packaging. The team’s hands-on approach went through the motions of experiencing the browsing, selection, buying, opening, scooping and even storing the batter. This led them to a very thorough understanding of user pain points and usage patterns.”
The MTR brand colors and visual architecture all hint at this very legacy with the promise of authenticity.
Now, this needed to be supplemented by a packaging structure that would:
1. Augment the brand trust and authenticity by addressing all kinds of pain points for the user, furthering their belief in the product and its usage
2. Be distinctive on the shelves, since the market is inundated by early adopters and an influx of new entrants
Convenience Beyond the Norm
The team began by keenly studying all forms of existing batter packaging. The team’s hands-on approach went through the motions of experiencing the browsing, selection, buying, opening, scooping and even storing the batter. This led them to a very thorough understanding of user pain points and usage patterns. It is this experience that resulted in an award-winning packaging entry, which focused on convenience.
“What is interesting is that despite being focused on ergonomics first, the resulting structure also was extremely distinctive. This made it stand apart on the shelves while being backed by MTR’s characteristic brand colors, which echo an unmatched legacy in the industry.”
The pack has four distinctive elements that make up its structure. The first innovation is the spout, which makes pouring the batter an extremely easy action for the user – who often has to deal with a certain amount of mess when transferring it.
The second feature is the handle, which supplements the spout and gives the user proper leverage and grip. The art and science of pouring batter, when done correctly, does result in the dosa/Idli you’ve always craved but never managed to replicate in your own kitchen!
The third feature is the fact that the pack is made to be self-standing. This does away with storage-based woes, which often involve the batter being subjected to spillage and waste.
Lastly, the focus on freshness and hygiene involves the meticulous use of materials – apart from all these features – that makes the Minute Fresh range immensely appealing to consumers.
“Great design will not sell an inferior product, but it will enable a great product to achieve its maximum potential.”
While the packaging has received high praise from MTR and users alike, we were pleasantly surprised to know that it had found favour with design experts too! Our work was awarded the SIES SOP Star Award for Packaging Excellence for 2022, which focuses on leaps being made within the Indian Packaging industry. In addition, this entry will soon be competing at the WorldStar Global awards, which we’re pretty excited about – so stay tuned!