Packaging's Latest Trend: Hot Grandma?
Last week I rambled on about the rise of “Chaos Packaging”. (If you missed it, read about how every brand founder needs to know about it here).
This week I want to talk about another CPG trend I've noticed (watch out, I'm on a roll…). This one is specific to the food industry and I'm calling it ‘Hot Grandma’ 🌶️👵.
In the dictionary of Claud (that's me), 'Hot Grandma' refers to food that has been generally seen as outdated (hence the grandma) getting a modern-day glow-up (hence the hot). More and more we are seeing innovation in previously stagnant and ‘unsexy’ categories.
In other words, we're seeing a move:
From dated 👉 delicious
From trad 👉 trendy
Last year, tinned fish was an unlikely star of TikTok (over 27 million videos 🤯), with people sharing the grammable packaging (like the impossible-to-ignore Fishwife cans) and easy, delicious recipes.
Recently, we've had the pleasure of working with Freja on their brand identity and packaging (check out their latest line-up at the top of the email). They make bone broth which, unless you've been living under a rock, is literally everywhere now, with customers loving that it provides the same great health benefits as a stock you'd make at home after a Sunday Roast, but minus the faff (and let's be honest the high probability of forgetting all about it in the freezer anyway).
And really, bone broth it is as grandma-ish as it comes - it's not a new health hack or foodie fad, but the same delicious stock that used to be a household staple, repackaged in a convenient format for a health-conscious but time-poor audience.
Their high quality ingredients, convenient packaging and innovative ranges (like their new bone broth shakes), demonstrate a revitalising of a category that hadn't seen any significant innovation in years.
One of my favourite examples of the ‘Hot Grandma’ trend is Hot Girl Pickles from Good Girl Snacks, a start-up based in the States by a best friend duo.
Even though pickles are more of a big dill (couldn't help myself) in the U.S., it was still a pretty stagnant aisle with not much flavour innovation. Good Girl Snacks are giving it a Gen Z makeover, complete with ‘anti-design’ packaging design*, viral reels and branded merch to boot. Their social-first, community-led approach has been particularly impressive, resulting in a fan-base that is engaged and obsessed.
*this trend needs a whooole other newsletter to unpack 😉
And finally, how could I forget the OG of unsexy foods…cottage cheese.
Honestly, the mere thought of its strange curdled texture makes me want to barf. And yet, this glossy new campaign for Good Culture makes me rethink my disgust. Nodding to the retro roots of the product, the campaign aesthetic features curtain draped backgrounds and silver platters, giving a sense of occasion and decadence. With the multiple hands leaning in to grab the pots, they manage to create a sense of coveted-ness. They've somehow reposition cottage cheese not as the sad, Ryvita topping of 90s binge diets, but as something delicious, flavourful and sociable.