NEEREYI

Brand Design Product Design Visual Design User Research Packaging Design

 నీరేయి - Nīrēyi

Neereyi presents the silver palm wine in a refreshing and unique perspective of what it is in essence, a cultural and traditional symbol that has persisted in various forms for the people of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Plucked from the heart of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, this delicious drink is believed to be handed down by the gods to the people.

This silver drink represents a rare sample of taste, culture, tradition and art. This specific wine produced with spice infusions of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves which was served to royalty and given as an offering to the gods and goddesses of this land. With an extraction process that has remained unchanged for centuries with generations of experience to draw from, Neereyi makes a statement that is bold, compelling and warm

The beautiful and ancient art form of kalamkari from the same region was the wellspring of beauty and inspiration to draw from and design the personality of this wine.

Palm Wine

Neera is a sweet natural extract from Palmyra or Indian date palm trees. The extract is collected in an earthen pot, which is tied to the tree before sunrise. The liquid that is collected is neera, which is non-alcoholic. After fermentation, the same extract becomes toddy, which has alcohol content. This is the major difference between toddy and the neera.

Palm wine is particularly common in parts of Africa, South India , Mayanmar and Mexico. Some of the local names for the product include Emu and Ogogoro in Nigeria and Nsafufuo in Ghana, kallu in south India and tuba in Mexico among many.

In India mainly three types of palm wines are available. 1) Palmyra palm wine 2) Silver date palm wine 3) Coconut palm wine

The Gap and the Need

Market Research

Market research revealed that palm wine, as it exists now is confined to back alley deals, repurposed plactic bottles and reused liquor bottles as container. Even the legitimate palm wine bottles are overly unexceptional and plain in character making it a substandard product compared to other kinds of wine or liquor.

Uplifting the social perception of Neera and Toddy and erasing the notion of neera as inferior to grain alcohols and other imported liquors was one of the primary motivators.

Design

THE NAME

 నీరేయి - Nīrēyi

The name is derieved from Two Telugu words ‘Neera’ (నీరా) which is the name of a form of this drink in its traditional form before fermentation and “Raeyi” (రేయీ) which means night. This wine is collected from by slicing the base of the palm flower stalks and leaving a pot to collect the drink overnight and is retreived at dawn and bottled immediately to stop fermentation.

THE ART - KALAMKARI

 కలంకరి - Kalamkari

Kalamkari is an ancient Indian art that originated about 3000 years ago. It derives its name from the words ‘Kalam’ meaning Pen, and ‘Kari’ meaning work, literally Pen-work. The artist uses a bamboo or date palm stick pointed at one end with a bundle of fine hair attached to this pointed end to serve as the brush or pen. Though usually drawn drawn on cotton fabric, other materials are being increasingly being used. The Kalamkari art includes both, printing and painting. There are numerous forms and styles of this type of painting throughout the Indian subcontinent.

THE BOTTLE

The design of the product uses a ceramic bottle and a hardwood cork lined with stained latex as sealant. The materials used in the design are intended to keep the aesthetics of traditional palm wine containers.

The Prototype pf the bottle design was the result of several iterations and material choices