The old and new Manischewitz logos. The new one (right) is inspired by Hebrew.
Manischewitz is getting a new look with updated packaging and a retro-meets-modern logo as the Kosher food brand tries to target younger, culturally curious and lapsed consumers in time for Passover.
The rebrand, rolling out today, features updated orange packaging. The campaign, dubbed “Jewish Food for All,” will run on digital media, out-of-home ads in subways, on highway billboards and social media.
The old and new boxes of Manischewitz matzo.
“We have a rich cultural heritage,” said Shani Seidman, chief marketing officer of Kayco, Manischewitz’s parent company. “If you want to buy matzo ball soup, you’ll choose ours because of our heritage. We want to invite everyone to the table, and reach that consumer who knows about Jewish culture and food, but may be coming to us for the first time or the first time in a while, without alienating previous customers.”
The new design, created by Jones Knowles Ritchie, is Manischewitz’s first logo change since 2019. The new packaging leans into the orange of the original logo, but has updates including a font inspired by Hebrew lettering and “New Yorker-style” illustrations, as described by Lisa Smith, global executive creative director at Jones Knowles Ritchie. The orange and yellow colors are meant to evoke warmth.
“We thought a lot about shelf blocking and how the Kosher aisle is usually beige,” said Smith.
A collage of the Manischewitz rebrand images.
“The Kosher aisle has been shrinking as more people have felt more comfortable not being as strictly Kosher,” Smith added. “We wanted to reignite that Jewish-American culture and remind them of the deliciousness of this cuisine.”
Manischewitz was founded in 1888 and started out just making Passover matzo. Kayco acquired the company in 2019. Seidman declined to share exact figures around Manicshewitz sales, but did say that “When Covid came we had more sales as folks cooked at home, then a dip, and now an increase in sales again.”
A bowl of Manischewitz matzo ball soup.
Jones Knowles Ritchie was also behind the rebrand for Kraft Singles, Baskin-Robbins, Burger King, Dunkin’ and, most recently, Impossible Foods.
The rebrand is being introduced ahead of a key selling time for the brand. The Jewish holiday of Passover begins on April 22. Many Jews eat matzo rather than bread during the holiday and prepare traditional foods such as matzo ball soup using ingredients sold by brands such as Manischewitz and its rivals.
