At the start of 2020, DesignRepublic was approached by Tiqah, an ethnic marketing agency founded by Rachid and Fatima. The objective was to create an identity for the brand ‘By Oummi’, Arabic for mother. The brand stands for fresh dishes out of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern kitchen brought to you in the supermarket. The target audience is wide: from the adventurous foodies looking for authentic and qualitative world dishes, to the ethnic consumer looking for convenience.

All By Oummi products are halal, but deliberately we did not put too much emphasis on this: this brand has to radiate trust towards all its customers without putting them into boxes. And what a success it is: we are one year since the first briefing and the products are already sold in Albert Heijn, Carrefour and Delhaize (Belgium + Holland)! A nice article with the founder of Tiqah was published in Feb ’21 in the magazine RetailDetail, accompanying the launch in the retailers (in Dutch and French):

“On the one hand, we see ethnic consumers who are frustrated because they cannot find everything they need in the supermarket. One-stop shopping is impossible for them. On the other hand, a group of foodies is looking for authentic and quality products from world cuisines. Partly as a result of culinary experiences on holiday, they look for these products in their environment. Can we connect with both target groups? That was our starting point.”

So how to create a brand that appeals to a wide customer base? We used a typography, a color palette and illustrations that refer slightly to an Islamic background, without being too obvious. Furthermore, we chose to add a lot of appetite to the packaging design by showing the whole product and ingredients on the label.

By Oummi started with fresh ready meals, soups and salads because that is where the need is greatest. The products are preferably among the classic ready meals in the shop. “That’s where they belong, that’s where we create connection.” The ambition is to expand into other categories, such as dry food and frozen food. “For example, there is a retailer asking us to do something with breads. We are also working on yoghurt ice cream. By the way, we are the first halal brand that also puts the Nutri-Score on the packaging.”