Neworld, Great relationships build great brands

Exactly 5 months ago, I traded the sunny shores of India for the cobbled streets of Dublin. So far I haven’t been doing too bad adjusting to the rainy Irish weather and the interesting cultural mishmash. Dabbling in the different music and arts has been fun so far.  However, while I have been open to trying out different foods, my palate takes comfort mostly in Indian spices and curries. Thankfully, Ireland has no dearth of Indian food brands (and Indian restaurants). What’s surprising is that Irish brands saw a market in Ireland for spicy curries (regardless of the elaborate recipes and intimidating cooking processes) and have tried to bring Indian cooking to busy Irish people who have come to love the more delicate aspects and flavours that it has to offer.

It took me almost a month to find my favourite Indian spices sold under Irish brands. But I did! These brands use sophisticated spicing and acidity to bring wonderful Irish raw produce to new levels of offering in Indian cuisine. What’s different about these spices/curry mixes is their branding and packaging as compared to the ones in India.

Below are some of the Irish brands selling spice blends which have hit a home run with my tastebuds:

Green Saffron

This Cork-based family business is known for making spice blends, chutneys and sauces with pared-back packaging. This is an absolute favourite and now a regular staple in my home-cooked meals. Also, the matt based sachets with neon colours are very different from the glossy, vibrant packaging used in India.

NUA Turmeric Latte

Turmeric Latte is Indian! Yes, Indians are used to having turmeric milk (haldi doodh) forever now. However, I noticed that it’s branded as a hipster, cup-of-sunshine-drink here. In India, it’s almost a medicinal drink for boosting one’s immune system. Honestly, Indians have a very complicated relationship with Turmeric Latte – it veers from mad love to abject hate. The Galway based brand NUA Naturals does the turmeric latte really well with different flavours, and I love it!

McDonnells

The lighthouse brand for curry sauce in Ireland. McDonnells has been very successful at preparing the Irish for Indian cuisine. India doesn’t really have the culture of using ready-made sauces in its culinary practices and everything is cooked from scratch. For someone who doesn’t really have the time and patience, their range of Indian curry sauce does come in handy. And it tastes good!

There’s so much worth marketing from India – from organic spiced-ghees (clarified butter) to trendy chutneys. Moreover, with a sizeable Indian population living in Ireland, Irish brands selling Indian products could only thrive and make us feel more at home each day.

Rashima Sharma, Business Developer Intern 

Rashima Sharma moved to Dublin from Hyderabad, India in July 2018. She interns as a Business Developer at Neworld. She did her MBA in Marketing & Sales and has extensive experience in sales, banking and marketing. At Neworld, she has developed an appreciation for branding and its relationship with design effectiveness. She admires the creativity and enthusiasm of her colleagues and is happy to be a part of the show by bringing in more interesting opportunities.