I also have an inbuilt disdain for anything that looks too pretty – I instinctively write them off as flaky, superficial, and shallow. Instagrammable food (or travel photos or “lifestyle” posts) conjure up phrases in my mind like “attention-seeking” and “style-over-substance”. 

That’s why I don’t hang out on Instagram – sorry for those of you whom I follow back out of courtesy – don’t be offended if you never see any engagement from me. I’m not there except for the couple of minutes it takes to upload my own content (social media being a necessary evil to keep people updated on what I’m doing etc.). 

I know, people buy with their eyes and all that – so I do sometimes try to remember to snap photos – but it’s not my natural instinct to do so.

Anyway, that’s my preamble on the topic of the packaging of my Handcrafted Dry Curry Paste Kits.

In case you’ve never come across them, these packs are based on recipes from my Malaysian restaurant back in the day – but using dried ingredients so they’re shelf-stable.

You use them by emptying a pack into a saucepan/pot with your protein of choice, plus water, coconut cream and oil – then cooking until the protein is done.

Basically.

(My label instructions will tell you to mix the contents with water, then saute with oil before adding the protein & coconut cream, but if you’re slow-cooking lamb or beef you can honestly just throw them all in at the same time, and end up with the results in the photos below.)

Anyhow, we sent a couple of packs of my dry curry paste kits to South Africa a couple of months back, to Paul’s side of the family. They came back with unsolicited feedback on them (I never ask for feedback, as an fyi, but I am grateful for them – the good ones anyway). 

The good news – these products are amazing and on a totally different level to anything they’ve ever tried.

The bad news – you know, the packaging doesn’t do it justice – maybe Jackie might want to redesign it so it looks more upscale/elegant.

I’m not offended in the slightest, but no, I’m not going to redesign nuthin’.

Here are 7 reasons why – 

1. I want to keep my overheads to a minimum – this means that you’re getting the best bang for your buck when you buy my products – you’re not paying for branding consultants or graphic designers etc. The label design is by yours truly, using good ol’ Canva.
2. I don’t want my products to look too pretty to use – they’re meant to make your life easier in the kitchen, not sit on a shelf or in your pantry as decoration.
3. I kind of like the idea of keeping expectations low when people first come across my dry curry paste kits, so they’re blown away by the end results.
4. I vibe with Malaysian hawkers, not glamorous “celebrity” chefs.
5. I want to target people who look for substance over style in their life (including dining) choices. 
6. I want to inspire other would-be food business owners to a) similarly focus on perfecting their cooking and b) recognise they don’t need to remortgage their house just to get all their branding assets sorted.
7. Honestly, as a small business owner, I don’t have the time to revisit the labels I did a year ago (and stuff around with things like font choices), or spend months sourcing packaging suppliers etc. that in my mind, don’t matter.

So next time you get a shipment from me that’s packed in a re-used Amazon delivery (or similar) box, remember, your money’s not being spent on custom-designed and branded packaging; it’s going straight to the product. Bonus – you’re doing your bit to save the environment.

Buy my Handcrafted Dry Curry Paste Kits here – Shop.JackieM.com.au

Yes, I do ship internationally (except the USA because of logistical issues at the moment).

A handful of unsolicited feedback (most, if not all, from fellow Malaysians) –

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