Big Mama Foods – Tradition Meets Connected Packaging
Overview
Big Mama Foods is a story of family, flavour, and Florida sunshine. For more than four decades, Big Mama cultivated her backyard garden in Miami, growing fruit and herbs that became the foundation of her dressings. At the centre of that tradition is her most cherished creation, the Calamondin Vinaigrette, a citrus-forward recipe perfected over years of care and community sharing.
Today, her son Ethan Shapiro is taking that family legacy to a new stage. As founder and CEO of Big Mama Foods, Ethan has turned his mother’s recipes into a brand that celebrates clean ingredients and authentic taste. The products are new to shelves, but they carry the weight of decades of garden-to-table tradition. What excites Ethan most is taking something born in Miami backyards and introducing it to tables across the country.
Now, Big Mama is extending that story through connected packaging powered by Orijin Plus. Each bottle becomes a storyteller, carrying forward a heritage of flavour and family while opening new ways for consumers to connect. A simple scan can bring the Miami garden to life, spotlight the farmers behind the ingredients, and share recipes that make the brand’s tradition part of everyday meals.
From Tradition to Interaction
For Big Mama, packaging has always been the place to introduce flavour, but connected packaging transforms it into a way to build relationships. With one code on the label, consumers can unlock promotions, see ingredient transparency, or discover recipes that bring products to life in new ways.
This flexibility gives Big Mama the ability to grow their campaigns alongside the brand itself. From celebrating the heritage of the Calamondin Vinaigrette to rewarding loyal customers, connected packaging gives the team new ways to keep the story alive with every scan.
Unlocking More With 2D Barcodes
Big Mama sees the global transition to GS1 2D barcodes as an exciting future. By 2027, traditional barcodes will give way to dynamic 2D codes across retail. For Big Mama, this is not just a compliance step. It is a chance to unlock far more value for consumers each time they scan.
What was once a black-and-white strip used at checkout becomes a gateway to recipes, product details, and family storytelling. Ethan and his team see this shift as an opportunity to build trust, create more meaningful interactions, and ensure that their brand is ready for the next chapter of retail.
“The biggest benefit is unlocking more value for the consumer. Instead of just a black-and-white barcode that retailers use, a 2D code gives customers instant access to recipes, product details, and brand storytelling—right from the bottle.”
Why Orijin Plus?
For Ethan, the choice of platform was about finding a partner that aligned with the brand’s journey. As he explains,
“What impressed me most is that Orijin Plus is built with brands in mind and it's not just another services company try to sell us something we don't need.”
Orijin Plus makes it simple to manage both sides of connected packaging. On one side, it supports supply chain and retail requirements. On the other, it delivers consumer-facing experiences like recipes, stories, and promotions. For Big Mama, it ensures every product becomes a touchpoint that connects Miami backyard traditions with the national audience they are now reaching.
Looking Ahead
The recipes behind Big Mama Foods have been nurtured for decades, and the brand is now at the start of its own journey. Connected packaging provides a way to carry that heritage forward in a modern, interactive form. Each scan has the potential to share the family’s story, open new recipes, and build relationships that create loyalty.
"Orijin Plus fits perfectly into our connected packaging strategy because it gives us a single, streamlined platform to manage both the functional side—like retail and supply chain requirements—and the consumer-facing side, where we can engage directly through recipes, stories, and brand content. For our brand, it plays the role of connector, making sure every bottle isn’t just a product but a touchpoint for building loyalty."
For Ethan and his team, this is not just about technology. It is about giving every product the ability to tell the story that began in a Miami garden and continues today as Big Mama Foods grows from local roots to a national presence.