Store check: Ethnic markets in Berlin – Part 1: Turkish grocery stores
Kickoff for our new series “Store Check: Ethnic Markets in Berlin”: In parallel with our well-known and popular international store checks around the globe, we will also be taking a look around various supermarkets here in Berlin over the coming months – but not in the usual German retail chains, rather in various ethnic markets to explore packaging and trends that cannot be found in Rewe, Edeka, and Lidl.
But why, or in what way, is this interesting for us as a packaging design agency?
Ethnic markets in Berlin and Germany in general raise a number of questions in relation to brand, product, and packaging design: What products are available there that we cannot find in large German supermarkets?
What do ethnic markets convey, what do they embody—simply a kind of “homesickness” or something more than that? To what extent do the specific product ranges reflect the different eating habits of the respective target group(s) compared to the average German population? How do the brands represented in ethnic markets deal with branding, packaging design, and the issue of sustainability—keyword: EU PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation)? And what about trends? Are those from German stores being transferred to ethnic markets, or are they more oriented toward what is popular in their distant homelands? Which target groups do ethnic markets specifically address? And what are consumers actually looking for? What is the pricing like, especially in comparison to German supermarkets?
So far, little is known about any of this. Ethnic markets seem to exist in a vacuum, so to speak – they play virtually no role in public discourse. Considering that some Berlin neighborhoods have more ethnic markets than German ones, this is somewhat surprising. In any case, it motivated us all the more to immerse ourselves in this unique world in the heart of Berlin and learn more about product and packaging-related aspects. The number and variety of ethnic markets in the German capital and international metropolis is enormous.
In this first part of our exciting Ethno Markets Berlin series, we focus on Turkish grocery stores. We visited Öz Gida in Berlin-Schöneberg and Bolu in Berlin-Wedding and present some impressive, inspiring, and otherwise striking findings below.
Uniquely packaged butter
The first thing that caught our eye in Turkish markets was several uniquely packaged butter products. In addition to classic packaging, as we know it from German grocery stores, there are innovative formats, such as the striking variants from Sütaski and Sütüm Gurme. However, it is questionable whether the brands will be able to stick with this special packaging in the long term or whether they will run into problems with regard to the PPWR overpackaging guidelines.
Unmistakable love for cans
It feels like cans are the main type of packaging for products in Turkish grocery stores. You can find everything in metal cans—beans, sarma (stuffed grape leaves—delicious!), cheese, and more.
Speaking of cheese, we do find some cheese products in cans at Lidl and other supermarkets, but the selection is limited compared to what is available in Turkish ethnic markets. Cheese is generally an essential part of Turkish cuisine. Accordingly, different types of cheese are often sold in large cans with practical resealable lids to ensure that the cheese stays fresh for a few days after opening.
Olives are also an integral part of Turkish cuisine. They come in all colors. And when they are not packaged in sealed plastic containers with a largely transparent surface—because consumers want to see exactly what they are buying—they are, of course, found in cans.
Even an internationally renowned company such as Nestlé – which, incidentally, is also one of our customers – is jumping on the can trend in Turkish grocery stores. However, we have not yet noticed Nido whole milk powder in cans in conventional German supermarkets.
With the almost excessive use of cans for food packaging, it must be extremely difficult for brands to stand out from the competition – right? Although you might think so, this is not necessarily the case – especially since metal cans in Turkish grocery stores are much more varied in design than those found in German supermarkets, where more or less all cans have the same standard shape and size regardless of the product and manufacturer – with the exception of a few smaller examples, such as Bonduelle’s vegetable mixes. In fact, some of the can packaging in Turkish markets comes in unusual variations – in terms of size, but also in terms of shape, as the Bagci product shows. Brands prefer to use the often large surface area of the cans for eye-catching food shots and traditional branding.
Focus on interesting design languages
Let’s stay with interesting design languages for a moment, because cans are by no means the only packaging that comes in a wide variety of outstanding formats. Soft cheese, for example, is not only available in conventional or tin packaging, but also in large, square-shaped and smaller triangular plastic tubs. When the shape stands out from the average, as is the case with these products from Oba and Yaren, it can itself become an important element of branding, creating differentiation and recognizability at the same time.
The fact that it is not necessarily the specific material that matters – or, in other words, that creative shapes can ultimately be created with almost any material – is illustrated by the glass packaging of Torku’s hazelnut cream. In addition to the design of the glass itself, the targeted adaptation of the label shape is also impressive here.
Cheese for the third time – this time traditional round and transparent
We already had cheese in cans and soft cheese products in square and triangular packaging. Another – and perhaps even the most important – product and packaging form for this significant product category in Turkish grocery stores is round cheese in transparent plastic wrappers with a round label on the front displaying the essential product information.
Round cheese products are relatively rare in classic German grocery stores. It is only in commercials or advertising illustrations that we frequently see traditional farmers in an enchanting field in Provence, France, handling large round cheeses – but on the shelves, simple cheese slices in fully branded flat plastic packaging dominate. But why is that? Presumably, most German consumers now demand such convenience that they prefer to buy their cheese pre-sliced so they don’t have to cut it themselves. An interesting contrast: you hardly ever find sliced cheese in Turkish shops!
Branding with red
Many brands use red for branding – an interesting aspect that deserves its own article. The desire to use this particular color goes so far that some brands like to stretch the brand bracket widthwise and sometimes even heightwise to be redder than the neighboring packaging or brand. Here, too, the question of overpackaging arises again with regard to PPWR. However, Dardanel’s clear, uncluttered branding with appealing color contrasts and typography is very successful in terms of design.
Spices (almost) entirely traditional
In Turkey and throughout the Eastern world in general, spices are hugely important – primarily for giving dishes their distinctive flavor and depth, but also as a symbol of the health benefits attributed to certain spice plants. Some even have sacred status. When they think of spices, people with this mindset often still picture the traditional Turkish market with large spice sacks from which cumin, paprika, and other spices were once filled into small bags. To reflect this “good old days,” Turkish grocery stores often offer spices in transparent bags or other simple, unadorned packaging to highlight the product’s naturalness and respect for it.
This minimalist design strategy differs significantly from what we now find on spice shelves in Germany and other Western countries: heavily branded packaging with a cool, hip presentation of the respective products.
Glossy finishes as an expression of value
If a brand is intended to appear particularly high-quality or, as in the case of Suntat, to emphasize its radiant brand name, glossy finishes are often used in packaging design—sometimes merely as accents, but sometimes also across the entire surface. Interestingly, this applies not only to special products, but also to some basic products. Rice, which is an essential element of Turkish cuisine, is a prime example of this. It is often sold in bags, which are ideal for glossy finishes and other attractive printing effects. The metallic sheen, complemented by traditional patterns and motifs, creates a packaging design with a distinctly high-quality look.
We also noticed some literally shiny packaging in the confectionery department, for example from Luppo.
Some brands incorporate shiny effects into a more complex interplay of surface appearance and feel. Two coffees are good examples of this: the packaging design by Sekeroglu Minnettar is a very successful modern interpretation of tradition, while the packaging by Serbian manufacturer Grand, which is more in line with Western design trends, demonstrates creative minimalism and typographic sophistication.
Glossy finishes can also be created in completely different ways, as the label of Marmarabirlik’s Kalamata product shows. It gives the impression that the glass has been printed directly. In reality, however, it is a special film that creates its own gloss effect in the light. Marmarabirlik clearly likes to use expressive film effects as a matter of principle. The printed matt film of the black Sade packaging also has a special effect on the shelf and attracts the eye.
Color blocking for hair care
Color blocking on store shelves is nothing unusual in itself, but our store check in Turkish-style ethnic markets revealed an extreme example: at Elidor, it is not the print but the packaging color that forms the block. Fixegoiste presents appealing color blocking and generally successful packaging design with its hair gels, where the interplay of color, finish, and shape—the sweeping lines are extremely creative in the context of hair styling—results in a strong, recognizable block.
WPR department without any major highlights
The Asperox brand – designed by our partner agency in Istanbul – uses the above-mentioned play with surfaces and finishes for its cleaning products.
Otherwise, we didn’t notice anything particularly noteworthy in the WPR department. When it comes to packaging design for fabric softeners, Turkish brands obviously use similar principles to German brands: the cuddly bear as a symbol of softness also seems to be very popular with them.
There are also a few well-known brands on the shelves, such as Persil and OMO, although we find the packaging design for OMO particularly unsuccessful: it features numerous different elements that are too blurred and therefore create a sense of unrest: outlines, flowers, butterflies, rainbows, gradients, countless colors—in our opinion, this is too much of a good thing.
Same product, same packaging shape – but different styles
The difference that design can make to the appeal and impact of a product can be seen here in these folding boxes for henna, which are identical in shape. We have the traditional “Hand of Fatima,” which is an important cultural and religious symbol in the Middle East and North Africa and is believed to protect against evil eyes and negative forces; then the comic-style design with the woman’s head; and finally, modern packaging with strong branding, stylish illustrations, and generally expressive visual elements, as we know them from brands such as Weleda or Lavera in German markets. All three henna variants are on the same shelf – that’s diversity at its best.
Other interesting packaging
Calypso lemonades are another example of the effective foil printing we discussed several times above, and speak a modern, playful language.
In the case of multipacks such as the water in glass bottles shown here, it remains to be seen how PPWR compliance will be handled in the future. Of course, this does not only apply to corresponding products in ethnic markets, but also to comparable packaging solutions in all other stores.
The sweet Süt Burger is extremely creative, both as a product—a special sweet snack for on the go—and in terms of its packaging.
In general, the packaging for chips does not differ significantly from similar products in German supermarkets. However, the 3D designs of Patos Critos stand out and literally scream for attention. They also impress with strong, clever color coding—red naturally stands for fiery and spicy.
Conclusion, closing remarks, and outlook
Cans, cans, cans, lots of round cheese, a variety of shapes, shiny and otherwise eye-catching foil prints, all kinds of traditional products, and red as the dominant color—these are the most striking product and packaging features in Turkish grocery stores in Berlin. In addition, striking food shots and transparency play an important role – consumers want to see what they are buying. Prices are similar to those in traditional German supermarkets, although quantities often vary: you usually get more product for the same money in ethnic markets.
In the next part of our series “Store Check: Ethnic Markets in Berlin,” we will focus on trends in Asian grocery stores before taking a closer look at Eastern European markets.
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