I noticed it out of the corner of my eye. I noticed something different in the kosher food section at my local Kroger. The familiar Manischewitz matzo (and matzo ball soup mix and macaroons) boxes have been given a new look, and what a treat. Gone is the sleepy beige and blue of the previous packaging. In its place was an eye-catching rusty orange interspersed with the harvest gold and sepia tones of a 1970s kitchen. The effect was both nostalgic and novel at the same time. It was like the design world’s equivalent of matzo ball soup: comforting, warm, and inviting.
Manischewitz, the definitive name for matzo, was founded in 1888 by Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz, an immigrant fleeing a Prussian pogrom. Manischewitz’s big innovation was to produce matzo on an assembly line and bring it to Jewish homes across the country. The brand has changed its look many times over the past 136 years, and each update builds on its previous look. And while its latest look incorporates some previous elements (a pop of orange has long adorned Manischewitz boxes), this rebrand feels more like a rebirth. .
Among some people, Manischewitz’s transformation came as a shocking shock. she’s everything-Style makeover. “Oh, they beat Manischewitz,” exclaimed a post from X (formerly Twitter), which was shared by Jewish food site The Nosher. Instagram. This sentiment perfectly captured the vibe of the rebrand. The illustrations on the package are cute and attractive, and they might even be your friends! Behind a box of matzo, three generations of his smartly dressed seders gather around his table, smiling and clinking wine glasses. They could be my family. The kitschy Yiddish pronouncements sprinkled throughout the packaging—“Made for snacking,” “There are similar bupkiss, too”—remind us of that disgust. If older versions of Manischewitz’s products (the rebranding affected everything but Gallo-owned wines) seemed sure to be found in the dusty recesses of Bab’s pantry, these new The product wouldn’t be out of place on any TikTok-approved kitchen. Right next to Graza Olive Oil and Om Som Noodles.
“The rebrand and new voice are about individuality, family, [and] It’s a combination of a love of food, witty observations, and the top-of-the-table type of confidence that Bubby will bring,” Joe Schott said in an email. As senior copy editor at Jones Knowles Ritchie, the creative agency responsible for Manischewitz’s new design, Schott was responsible for creating the brand’s verbal identity. “Once I started saying it out loud and finding the formula for how Manny’s would do it, [that’s Manischewitz’s new nickname] It felt warm, inclusive, and vibrant,” Schott explains. “It’s the kind of dinner she’d like to attend, a party filled with lively conversation.”
A few days after I noticed Manischewitz’s new packaging, I received a press release about it. The language used by his PR team for the brand was particularly impressive. This isn’t your typical rebrand song and dance, it’s more loaded, as if Manischewitz is trying to reintroduce his hoods to not just their appearance, but kosher as a whole category. It felt like that. background and dietary habits,” the release reads. “Manischewitz products are more than just food; they are an invitation to experience and participate in Jewish culture.”
The announcement concludes with a quote from Shani Seidman, chief marketing officer of Manischewitz’s parent company Keiko, who says, “Inspired by the inclusivity with other cuisines found in the brand, Manischewitz is committed to Jewish culture. “We aim to create a symbolic entrance,” the text reads in part. In other words, it’s Jewish food for everyone.
But can rebranding really reimagine Jewish cuisine (or at least a very specific type of Jewish cuisine, namely the Ashkenazi cuisine of Eastern Europe) in a way that appeals to ‘everyone’? Or is Jewish cuisine so steeped in its own cultural and religious practices that it cannot hope to move beyond its own culturally connected audience? But who are the non-Jews buying matzo anyway? See, for example, the recent proliferation of Southeast Asian consumer packaged goods (CPGs) on grocery store shelves, while other cuisines have found their way from so-called ethnic aisles to the so-called mainstream. please. You can expect the same with Jewish cuisine.
Yes, Jewish deli culture has had some kind of fun. next generation revival. But the pastrami sandwich and gefilte fish; gefilte fish It was felt to be primarily targeted at coastal and/or urban audiences who were already familiar with the cuisine. Manischewitz, in contrast, is aimed at people all over the country, and most of its products are also specifically related to Passover. Outside of the holiday context, matzo is just a sad cracker.
Seidman said Manischewitz’s core consumers are older Jews who grew up with the brand in their homes, but their new consumers, the rebrand’s target audience, are the grandchildren of the original audience. , especially their (not necessarily Jewish) friends.
To appeal to these new consumers, “We went on a soul-searching journey,” says Seidman. “When we took this leap of faith, we dug deep into the brand’s identity and sought to understand what it meant to the culture.” She added, echoing the press release, that she approached the project from the perspective of “it’s an entry point.”
Other traditional Jewish food brands, at the very least, hope to find similar entry into larger grocery store real estate. last year, JoybaThe 117-year-old tahini and confectionery maker has introduced a sleek new look that combines retro and modern in an effort to span two different demographics.
“The new brand identity aims to appeal to both our traditional consumers – the generational Joyva fans who connect us with family and heritage – and entirely new consumers. ”Joiba co-president Richard Radatsky said in an email. He added that these new consumers, who didn’t necessarily grow up with Joyva, are drawn to try the brand’s new products because of the “new, colorful, familiar packaging.”
One could say that the underlying hope is that a rising tide will lift all ships. “As retail brands like Joyva and Manischewitz evolve to reach new customer bases, we are seeing more of the Jewish We could see expansion and growth of household goods brands like Daughters, Daughters of Zabar and Daughters of Katz,” said Farah Besner, chief marketing officer at Joyva.
Manischewitz’s rebranding process began two years ago, and the timing of this launch feels important.the Tough times for many American Jewsand Anti-Semitism has steadily increased since the 2016 presidential election and Rapid increase following Hamas attack on October 7th About the merciless war in Gaza between Israel and the Israel Defense Forces It is estimated that 34,000 people participated and the number continues to rise, two-thirds of whom are civilians.. The Manischewitz team knew Passover was the ideal occasion for their launch. Because while this is matzoh’s peak season, it’s also a time when Jewish culture is more widely talked about outside of Jewish circles. But Seedman also said the rebrand comes at a time of “very heightened Jewishness,” which explains the need for the brand’s message of Jewish food for everyone. He added that it only helps.
“In fact, there’s been a resurgence of Jewish pride especially this year. I feel like that resurgence is motivating people to make matzo ball soup now for Shabbat. And they’re not Jewish. “Maybe you’ll invite a friend over for Shabbat dinner,” Seidman said. This is something that many Jews have done for years, but the idea of opening the Shabbat table to non-Jews has taken hold. especially prevalent in the context of a pandemicthanks in part to highly visible content creators such as: jake coen and Eitan Bernas.
Seidman hopes that these non-Jewish friends will of course be beneficial to Manischewitz, but will also encourage greater acceptance and empathy for Jews. “I think a lot of good can come from sitting down and breaking bread with people and sharing something very human,” Seidman says. “We all eat. We all know that food brings us together. It’s a great unifying force.” There’s something troubling about the idea that food is a unifying agent. After all, it can just as often be a source of food. mismatch.
But if Manischewitz hopes to share Jewish food with everyone, it hasn’t lost sight of its core Jewish audience. Recently, the brand began offering care packages to Jewish students on college campuses. Anti-Semitism is of particular concern. This outreach effort was the result of a long-standing partnership with Jewish campus organizations and his collaboration with JScreen, a genetic testing program based at Emory University.
“When I heard what was happening on college campuses, I felt sorry for the students,” Seidman said. “Imagine you’re in a facility and suddenly you don’t have the support you need. What we want to do is bring you comfort, send you a home-like care package and make sure this brand brings you It’s about letting them know you support them.”
Seidman doesn’t know how effective the rebranding will be in the fight against anti-Semitism, but said inclusion is a step in the right direction. “Jews have been trying to escape anti-Semitism for centuries. And what we have learned is that even when we think we have it figured out, it rears its ugly head.” That’s the thing,” she says. “What I want more than anything for this brand is to reignite pride in our heritage and Jewish culture in a very inclusive way.”
Stephanie Ganz is a writer and recipe developer whose work has appeared in: bust, Bon Appétit, The Kitchen , and Epicurious .She is the author of her Substack newsletter But wait, there’s more.
Carolyn Figel I’m an illustrator and animator. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her dog Fred.
