2 March 2015
Tom's Pies launches new brand and pack design from Ziggurat Brands
On 1st March Tom's Pies was listed on Ocado, featuring a new brand and revamped packaging designs from Ziggurat Brands. It is launching an initial range of five flavours:
- Chicken, Ham Hock & Leek
- Lamb & Chickpea with Chorizo
- Steak & Ale
- Chicken & Wild Mushroom
- Mushroom & Spinach with White Truffle Oil
These innovative flavour combinations together with the striking designs from Ziggurat Brands, will bring these premium pies to a vastly expanded market, and help a new generation discover the traditional British pie.
A product in need of a brand
It was whilst working in Australia that Tom Cull first spotted the potential of pies. "There's a real pie culture out there," he says. "Everyone loves them, and interestingly they're not seen as a cheap way to refuel - Australians enjoy a wide range of premium pies made from innovative combinations of high quality ingredients."
Back home he set to work on his mother's organic farm in Devon and began creating pies that sold well at festivals, county shows and other live events. He was awarded the contract to sell his pies to the corporate tiers at Wembley Stadium, and by 2014 he was selling successfully through a range of independent shops.
Reinventing pies
He had also met Tom Little, an entrepreneur who manages a range of food brands, and who saw the potential in Tom's Pies. "The product was at the right stage for launch to the multiples," he says. "We needed a brand and packaging design that would help us answer the central question - how do we create a pie brand that is relevant to a modern audience?"
That was the challenge the two Toms set Ziggurat Brands, an agency they enlisted having been impressed by its work on bottlegreen, Sunbites, Copella and of course Higgidy Pies.
Pack design as theatre
The solution from Ziggurat uses images inspired by Victorian circus and a traditional font to anchor the brand firmly in the heritage of the pie. However, unexpected colour combinations create both a contemporary look and strong shelf stand-out.
"There is theatre through this design," comments Alison Taylor, Director at Ziggurat Brands. "The on-pack illustrations were inspired by an 18th Century French book and convey the premium contemporary take on the vintage essence of the brand. "A unique perforation technique allows for easy tear and further enhances the theatre of opening the packaging to reveal the pie."
In-store, pies tend to be stacked on top of each other, so that the sides are one of the most critical aspects of pie packaging. This design takes this into account, using copy and imagery on the side packaging to convey many vital messages and maximise its impact.
A new phase for Tom's Pies
Tom Cull, Founder & Director of Tom's Pies concludes: "We're really proud of our new packaging and hope customers old and new will love the design as much as we do. Working exclusively with Ocado means that fans of Tom's Pies all over the country can get their favourites delivered as part of their regular shopping, which will be so convenient for them."
