With an increase in demand by U.S. consumers for Mediterranean foods, the hummus market has been growing steadily. Tribe, a national leading hummus brand, has removed artificial preservatives and is relaunching the brand as clean label, emphasizing the company’s resolve in making authentic tasting hummus from real ingredients that consumers can feel good about eating.

“There is an opportunity for a hummus brand to own ‘all natural’ clean label,” said Alan Graham, vice president, Marketing, Tribe Mediterranean Foods. “Our core primary research showed that consumers purchase decisions are most influenced by ingredients (30%) and flavor (34%) and those ingredients focused on all natural or no artificial preservatives.”

“This is especially true when it comes to millennials, where the Tribe brand resonates particularly well,” said Nathan Everett, Associate Brand Manager, Tribe. The brand also switched to non-GMO canola oil in 2016.

The relaunch includes a new brand design with a more natural and fresh authentic feel, to reflect the new positioning and clean ingredients. New York-based branding agency, Pause for Thought, was tapped to reflect the changes.

“The hummus category has seen a proliferation of new flavors and challenger brands, so Tribe needed to break through the clutter with a distinctive, authentic look. Our new design telegraphs the brand positioning and balances functional and emotional messages,” said Janice Pedley, founder/creative director, Pause for Thought.

“The distinctive logo and the color black are key equities for the Tribe brand,” Pedley added. “By retaining the black rim but reversing the label colors (black logo on white background), we maintained familiarity, while shifting to a fresh and healthy look.”

With a large range of flavors, it was important to balance brand blocking and color coding, so each flavor has a pared down color palette of black, white and a flavor color, which is also featured in the illustration. This enables consumers to quickly find their flavor or discover something new. The custom Tribe illustrations have a timeless, crafted feel, reflecting the core of the brand: simple, quality ingredients.

The ‘Share Real Taste’ message was added alongside the brand name, reflecting its enhanced positioning, capturing the idea of community and emphasizing the great taste that comes from natural ingredients. It also helps to differentiate Tribe from other leading brands with artificial preservatives and GMO ingredients.

“Pause for Thought played an integral part in the development of the packaging design using the consumer insights developed from our primary and secondary research. Their ability to remain nimble and quick played a key role in the brand re-launch occurring within 9 months,” Graham added.

“Our major communication campaign to support the relaunch is focused on social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to drive brand awareness, consideration and purchase with our unique brand personality. The brand is also heavily supported by the retailers with print ads and in-store merchandising,” notes Everett.

The new clean label tubs are currently rolling out nationally.