Do it for love
Always be aware of the connection you have to your ancestors. Diversity is difference, not just to be acknowledged but to celebrated. Do it for the love of Oceania.
Madame Moments
March 2019
Role: Business Owner
My passion project, and now a rapidly growing side business. Delicious baking treats that look after your health and taste divine too! There is nothing nasty in Madame Moments treats it is made with all natural ingredients, sugar-free and keto friendly. Take a moment to treat yourself!
Photo credit: LMD design
Food is a way of sharing a moment together with people, it is a way to form relationships with new people and deepen existing relationships. It is one of the common denominators between humans, we must eat to live. Madame Moments began because of my love of food as a way of to nourish our body but also as a way to connect with people around us
The Problem
Madame Moments began because of my love of food. I am grew up in a Fijian household, food was always an important part of any gathering, but that didn't always mean the healthiest food choices on offer. Treating myself to something sweet is my way to both celebrate and commiserate the highs and lows that life brings.
I have really struggled with healthy eating in the past..mainly due to my addiction to sugar. Chocolate is my nemesis! I needed a sweet treat alternative otherwise I would fall back in to unhealthy habits. Keto baking was a complete revelation to me.
I have been following a low-carb lifestyle for the last year, during this journey I started experimenting with Keto baking and found it was absolutely delicious! I have always loved baking, but when I was doing other diets I felt so restrained with limited ingredient alternatives.
I decided to use keto baking methods to make low-carb sugar free treats that are delicious to encourage people to choose healthier alternatives to sweet treats.
Madame Moments began because of my love of food. I am grew up in a Fijian household, food was always an important part of any gathering, but that didn't always mean the healthiest food choices on offer. Treating myself to something sweet is my way to both celebrate and commiserate the highs and lows that life brings.
I have really struggled with healthy eating in the past..mainly due to my addiction to sugar. Chocolate is my nemesis! I needed a sweet treat alternative otherwise I would fall back in to unhealthy habits. Keto baking was a complete revelation to me.
I have been following a low-carb lifestyle for the last year, during this journey I started experimenting with Keto baking and found it was absolutely delicious! I have always loved baking, but when I was doing other diets I felt so restrained with limited ingredient alternatives.
I decided to use keto baking methods to make low-carb sugar free treats that are delicious to encourage people to choose healthier alternatives to sweet treats.
The Consumers
The Design Processs
My target demographic were woman in their 20-30's who were addicted to sugar (like me). People who despite their best efforts always fall back to 'treat yourself mode' and use sugary treats as a way to take a moment and rewards yourself or as a way to deal with stress in an everyday context.
This people are looking for alternatives to their sugar addictions because they are concerned about their long term health. My target market are people that are actively looking for sweet treat alternatives that will help improve their health in the future.
I also considered people with allergens or who are already made lifestyle changes to their diet:
Keto
Low-carb
Sugar free
Gluten Free
Coeliac
Diabetic
I chose to develop my twist on two classic recipes a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie. I chose three user groups that were accessible to me.
Each of the three sample groups each were asked what they thought of the taste and some were asked to indicate how much they might pay for the baking per slice or per cookie.
Taste testing groups and reason for choosing them:
Work Colleagues
Who knew me personally so were inclined to give me honest but potentially
biased feedback
My partners work colleagues
Who did not know me personally and are corporate workers who spend most of their working day working at a desk
My Boxing clients
Who knew me personally and are health conscious and active.
The first batch of samples given to family and friends to taste test.
Tasters Feedback
“I am gluten free and I tried a lot of gluten free baking, this is some of the best gluten free baking I have ever tried”
“I really like the taste of the baking but if it was in a shelf on the supermarket I would not buy it because it doesn’t look nice”
“I supported a colleague that baked cupcakes in my last work to approach our company with her baking and now she does the catering for company events, I love supporting people just starting out with their business ideas”
“Your baking is fantastic! My wife has tried to bake gluten and sugar free stuff before and (don’t tell her) but I’ve never liked it”
“I can’t believe this is sugar free baking!”
“I was raised by a pastry chef and have been trying all sorts of baking my whole life, this is up there with the best baking I have tried, I can’t believe it it grain and sugar free!”
“I buy a $3 cookie from the vending machine just about everyday but if I had a choice between the vending machine and this cookie I would buy this one for sure, my only suggestion would be to make it a little bit bigger”
Reflection
Inspiration
100% positive response for taste
My product aligned with or was better then what was currently on offer in the gluten free market in New Zealand plus it was sugar free.
People like supporting brands and people that they know personally because it makes them feel good to help out a small business.
If the baking was to be sold it must not only just taste good but also be presented in a way that made it look appetising- needed good packaging
People are trying but struggling to make healthy baking from their home kitchen environments
Logo Design
Label design
I wanted a clean minimal packaging aesthetic that would keep the product safe but wasn’t over packaged. Clear packaging was a must so that the product could be seen.
Clear packaging so that the product could be seen.
Washi tape to run through the centre of the logo to give it a bit of interest and uniqueness but still a minimal style
4 washi tape designs that are all different patterns i.e polka dots, stripes, lines. so people could choose their favourite
Sealable clear square packet to be the universal package. keeping the food safe and clean for transportation and gave particularly the brownie a packet to hold instead of holding the actual product and getting your hands sticky.
1 week after the brownie and cookie recipes were tested I launched Madame Moments products. My boyfriend and I each took a Madame Moments canteen which had packaged brownies and 2 pack cookies neatly packed in to bamboo trays featuring the Madame Moments logo.
All products across the range were $5 because just about everyone has a $5 note or coins floating around in their wallet. It made the product accessible and simple.
Packaging design
Two months in to the beginning of Madame Moments and I partnered with a local cafe to stock treats in their cabinet.
This meant improving the look of my baking and designing shelf labels to identify my product from the rest of the food in their cabinet.
I also generated a menu, business card and information cards to distribute and educate my customers on what Madame Moments treats was all about.
Shelf label design
Business card design
Website
I chose a continuous scroll homepage to keep my business story flowing for the reader.
I placed wide set images of my baking as transitions between each part of the Madame Moments story to give context and entice people to explore my page further.
I tried to keep everything clear and simple to follow making it as easy as possible for people to follow through with an order.
