Honouring Heritage, Winning Hearts
(and Awards)
As a mother, community leader, and founder of a Black-led health charity in London, Ontario, Granny P's founder Mystery Furtado came to us with more than a product, she came with a legacy. Her grandmother's sea moss recipe had been passed down through five generations, and she was determined to share this ancestral wellness wisdom with a broader audience. When it came time to bring this recipe to Canadian market, she needed packaging that could honour this legacy while competing in a wellness industry that often tokenizes ethnic foods.
Client: Granny P.
Complete packaging design system for 3 product formats
Cultural design research for heritage pattern integration
Bilingual labelling (English/French) for Canadian market
Nutritional panel design and regulatory compliance
THE PROBLEM:
Granny P's faced the challenge every heritage brand knows: how do you celebrate your cultural identity without being relegated to the "exotic foods" section? The founder needed packaging that would educate consumers about sea moss as a superfood, position her groundbreaking gummy innovation (Canada's only sea moss gummies, specifically formulated to suppress the distinctive ocean taste by True Leaves Consulting), and honour her grandmother's holistic healing traditions, all while commanding mainstream retail presence.
THE SOLUTION:
We grounded the entire visual identity in traditional African-Caribbean textile patterns, integrating them as foundational design elements rather than decorative accents. These authentic motifs wrap the packaging in cultural knowledge, visually communicating that this product carries generations of wisdom.
The turquoise wave backgrounds evoke both the pristine St. Lucian waters where the sea moss is hand-harvested and the clean, natural positioning of the brand. Bold typography ensures immediate shelf impact while clear benefit callouts speak to health-conscious consumers. For the gummy innovation, we created packaging that positions it as a serious wellness breakthrough, not a novelty product.
THE RESULT:
The packaging system launched across three formats: dried sea moss for traditional preparation, gel for versatile daily use, and the innovative gummies. In a year, Granny P's sea moss gummies won the Flourish Forward Southwest Food Innovation Summit Flourish Award for Best New Product of 2025, validating both the formulation innovation and the design strategy.
But the real win? The founder can now walk into retailer with confidence, knowing her packaging doesn't ask permission to exist, it claims its rightful space. The design speaks to her community while appealing broadly, proving that celebrating your heritage is your competitive advantage, not a barrier to mainstream success. For Black-owned and ethnic food entrepreneurs, the message is powerful: your grandmother's wisdom, your cultural knowledge, your ancestral practices aren't just niche. They're the future of wellness.
At Eye Candy Design, we replace tokenization with celebration. We're rewriting the 'exotic' narrative and creating packaging that guides consumers—because ethnic foods should feel at home in any aisle. Ready to elevate your heritage brand with design that honours your roots and wins shelf space? Let's talk.