Laila® — scrubbing up rice!
We helped Surya Foods take their flagship brand — Laila®, the UK’s no. 1 selling dry rice brand — and innovate it for the ready-to-eat category.
This marks one of the biggest NPD projects the company has undertaken in recent years, supporting its mission to capture a greater share of the UK rice market by offering consumers the same authentic quality they expect from Laila® in a convenient, ready-to-eat format.
For the new microwaveable pouch format, Laila®'s visual assets were transformed to work harder in the convenience aisle and appeal to time-pressed shoppers. The redesign introduced stronger messaging, clearer flavour navigation, and premium foodie cues across a 10-SKU range.
Rather than throwing out the brand’s “baby,” the elephant, with the bathwater, its role was reconsidered within the pack architecture.
Especially as some flavours have a more global reach while the elephant carries a distinctly Indian design feel. From this exploration, a new Laila® brand texture was born.
The brand’s signature teal remains at the forefront, complemented by bold, distinctive flavour colours that give the range strong shelf standout and easy navigability.
To maintain a premium look, artisanal product imagery was developed featuring a handcrafted bowl set on coloured napery.
To elevate the sense of quality, subtle bronze metallic detailing was added to the newly introduced brand identity keyline and established date.
Convenience is highlighted through a softly disruptive, gloss-varnished “Microwave in 2 minutes” seal device.
The same premium aesthetic extends to the back of pack, including ingredients, nutritional information, and preparation instructions.
Altogether, the new Laila® packs — carefully balancing positive and negative space — represent a major step forward. They are premium, modern, and tailored for the convenience category without alienating the brand’s core consumer base.
Laila®’s convenience rice pouches launched in Tesco in late summer 2025 and are now also available from Amazon UK, Ocado, Morrisons, and B&M.