Food Packaging - Spicing it Up with the Kerala Curry Range
Sumith Babu is a professional Chef, food photographer, and stylist based in Manchester. On his journey from India to the United Kingdom, Sumith has built a wealth of experience working with reputed hotels and cruise ships, as well as running his own restaurant. His passion is food and the kitchen is the place where he lives, learns, and celebrates the flavours of his native Kerala. Sumith shares his recipes, videos, and stunning food photography with thousands of foodie followers over Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Having recently launched his ready-meal range, Sumith explained :
“Gradually I have built up an established social media presence, my video blogs are especially popular and an easy way to share my recipes and ideas. It seemed a natural progression to use these platforms to bring my new Kerala range to a wide audience of people who obviously appreciate food inspired by the Land of Spices.”
Like so many TPH customers, Sumith was looking for an eco-friendly, innovative packing solution, so we were happy to share some ideas. Pete Harrison, TPH Sales Manager recalled that Sumith already had great visuals for his packaging sleeves and TPH was able to help him adapt his graphics into print-ready artwork that met all the legal and production requirements of food packaging.
For example, any pre-packed food provided to UK consumers has legal requirements covering the information on the packaging i.e. ingredients, allergens, QUID (Quantitative declaration of ingredients) etc. TPH can also advise on the appropriate materials, for example, a frozen food range needs a hard-sized board to prevent the food leaching into the packaging. The manufacturing process behind “hard-sized board” increases the board’s resistance to water absorption usually by the addition of “size” agent to the middle plies of the board. This allows the board to be grease, heat and water-resistant as well as being useable in a microwave and conventional oven.
TPH specialises in smaller volume projects where it is important to keep set-up costs down. By working closely with Sumith, the Production team were able to cover the whole Kerala sleeve range in one set-up, significantly reducing the project print cost. The customer also has a range of fulfilment options.
“We are very flexible in meeting the requirements of our customers and giving them choice” Pete Harrison explained, “For example, some clients just want the basic packing sleeve delivered with a roll of glue tape and they do the rest. Some want something pre-taped and sealed which they can just slip over the food box. We’re finding our third option of providing the packaging with the pre-applied glue strip is very popular for customers looking to balance cost and operational efficiency.”
As a food photographer, Sumith understands the importance of great presentation. Obviously the most important rule is flavour but great outer packaging showcases the culinary artistry within. The Kerala range launched in December and you can feast your eyes on a mouth-watering array of dishes here:
Website - https://keralaslive.com
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh-JrxkNK_AmlvytXywUqZA
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/keralaslive/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/keralaslive