Great Product. What’s It Called?

*On Ukrainian food you want to buy again. Preferably without having to launch a search party.*

“We make a quality product.”

Excellent. We’ll write that down. Next to all the other producers who have yet to announce that theirs is terrible.

The trouble starts a few days after the purchase. Someone liked it. They want more. They remember the honey was Ukrainian, the label was pale, and the lid was dark. Probably. At this point, their enthusiasm becomes a job for a detective.

We want Ukrainian food to leave a name behind. A specific, recognisable one you can ask for in a shop or send to a friend. Somebody’s work went into that product. It’s a shame if all the customer remembers is the colour of the lid.

This is where branding earns its keep. It connects taste, trust and a good experience to a particular producer. The name, packaging and language should all help one very simple thing happen: someone finds you again.

We like the idea of moving from a tonne of apples to a bottle of cider with a name of its own. There is, admittedly, rather more between the two than a designer with a laptop. Production, technical expertise, consistent quality, distribution. A typeface cannot ferment apples. Even a very expensive one.

But once the product exists, give people a way to understand its value. Where did the apples grow? What does the cider taste like? Who makes it? Why this way? Specific answers give people a story worth remembering.

“Made in Ukraine” opens the conversation. We’re interested in what comes next. Ukrainian identity has room for a restrained bottle, an odd name, contemporary graphics, a family story and a sense of humour. Not every jar needs to be dressed for a folk festival.

We want to see Ukrainian products with personalities of their own on shelves around the world. Products someone can name and say, “Get this one. I’ve tried it.” That small recommendation does more for a brand than many grand speeches about its uniqueness.