Jajja Jammers

Packaging Concept

Client

Jajja Wellness

Timeline

3 Weeks

Project Prompt

The founder of Jajja Wellness approached my graduate prototyping class looking for help expanding the Jajja Wellness brand.

Jajja Wellness is a small business based out of Minnesota that creates, markets, and sells traditional African wellness tonics. Most of their revenue comes from selling through select Hyvees, food co-ops, and small markets in the Minneapolis area.

Current Branding and Packaging

The product is sold in bulk to retailers who in turn sell individual bottles in refrigerated sections. There are two bottle sizes, 14oz and 2oz, both in glass.

Defining the Problem

I spent some time with the founder learning more about the story of the brand, their current situations, and some problems they were looking to address. Here were three pain points I helped identify.

Covid Restrictions

Covid forced restrictions on pouring samples out of open containers - a big marketing tool for Jajja.

High Shipping Expenses

Glass bottles made for costly shipping and handling.

Growing Market Competition

There is an ever increasing amount of similarly branded "health beverages" making it hard to stand out.

Research

In an effort to further understand the Jajja Wellness story, I set out to answer a few more questions.

Who is the target customer?

Based on Jajja's current brand positioning, any health-concious consumer that has purchased a Kombucha, green tonic, health drink, etc. is a potential Jajja customer.

Who exactly is Jajja competing with?

Kombuchas, tonics, health drinks, etc. Many people find a brand they like and then stick with it.

What makes Jajja Wellness special?

A major part of the Jajja brand is Henry's grandmother and the rich history behind the juices.

Concept Prototyping

I came up with an idea to package 2oz single servings of Jajja in disposable plastic pouches after hearing a story about how Henry's grandmother served the original Jajja juice out of plastic bags in Uganda.

The Lotus flower is an indigenous African flower and a symbol of the Jajja brand. I thought it would be a great way to embody the Jajja story in the concept. I laser-cut test dies out of MDF to find a narrow in on a shape and then waterjet a steel die to meld plastic bags together to validate the concept.

I mocked up some quick foam-core packaging to round out the initial prototype.

After a successful pitch to the Jajja team, I started on some higher fidelity models including a second variation in the shape of Africa at Henry's request.

I mocked up some digital assets in Procreate that would fit the new packaging, and then sourced a stronger plastic for the final models.

Final Concept

Dubbed the "Jajja Jammers", this packaging concept builds on the existing brand story and is a callback to Founder Henry's Grandmother serving the original Jajja juices out of bags in Uganda.