1 – Soups on the GO
Our modern lifestyle, with people constantly on the move and expecting flexibility and practical solutions, has given
rise to completely new consumer patterns. For many consumers, it is important that their meals can be prepared
and consumed without unnecessary bother, and they expect food producers to make the entire process as
straightforward as possible.
A cup‐of‐soup from instant powder isn't seen anymore as an alternative lunch, not even as a snack. Consumers want
higher quality, healthy ingredients and a convenient packaging, but above all they also want to eat their quick lunch
in style. In other words the fish‐and‐chips, how delicious they might be, can't be packed in an old paper journal
anymore. It is the same with soup. A thin soup from instant powder isn't what the consumer wants. He wants a
creamy, thick soup with fresh vegetables and herbs. It's a meal remember!
So, let’s have a look now at innovative soup (or related, or as such usable) packages, which didn’t come much
further than the brand (or even worse the brain
of the designer) which introduced the original
first. They didn’t got to the stage of a trend, but I
don’t agree to mark them as a gimmick either. It
is just that the soup branch apparently is very
traditional.
But it all depends of what you want. Enter into
(or maintain your brand in) the low‐level, cheap
and folksy soups. Or are you looking at a higher
level, natural ingredients, high quality, exclusive
tastes, consequently a more interesting
packaging.
Instant noodles and pastas are similar to dried soup with
pieces of vegetables and meat. It’s easy to see that this
packaging offers many advantages for the consumer. The
small collapsed cup, can hold natural ingredients in pieces, which influence the quality of the soup. Furthermore it is
easy to carry in a jacket pocket or purse and ready‐to‐serve. As the package has a smaller volume when it leaves the
manufacturer’s place, it cuts down the cost of bulk transportation.
In general you can say and many market and consumer research reports point in that direction, that although the
consumer on‐the‐go, might be in a hurry with little time available, he isn’t inclined to shove his request for
convenience, quality and health out of the door. Above these requests, he also wants a better presentation of his
quick lunch. It might be a quick‐bite, but certainly it can be eaten in style, can’t it? If you ask me for a trend, then this
is the one. The mentioned actual soup packages don’t inhabit this feature. Neither a tin, nor a Tetra, or a pouch offer
style. With a plastic cup, you can do wonders. Again from simple to the exclusive but simple design from Thailand.
The 300gr Choucroute packed in a plastic tray, supplied
by the Danish company Faerchplast, is enclosed in a
paperboard box. The pack includes a fork so the dish is
ready to eat after 2 minutes in the microwave.
Even though the plastic tray is hot when removed from
the microwave, the consumer won’t burn his fingers as
the surrounding paperboard packaging remains cool.
Greenseas ‘lunch bite’ ‐ The next is a similar one. Perfect for a creamy, thick soup with lots of vegetables. This
microwaveable packaging is used by Heinz Australia for its Greenseas ‘lunch bite’ range with an extended ambient
shelf life.
There is a similar one. A bit different, but with some creative thinking, also with some extra possibilities.
Tom Yum ‐ Noodle Soup ‐ And now we come to the high‐end market as far as packaging is concerned. Fashion
Food’s Tom Yum ‐ Noodle Soup Takes it to a Stylish Level. Tom Yum is a hot and sour piquant soup with a unique
quite popular flavour common throughout Thailand. It is a spicy sour garlicky seafood (relatively thin) soup that
tastes very limy with a note of aromatic basil, very flavourful with a good seafood aftertaste. The noodles are thin
and resilient, staying chewy in hot water.
Rajat Kedia +91 98456 11100 rajat@mphinite.com
Ajay Nayak +91 96111 31541 ajay@mphinite.com