Puck and FP7McCann Help Lebanese Women Navigate Economic Crisis

The economic crisis in Lebanon resulted in a 63% increase in unemployment rates of women across the country, particularly in rural regions. For extra income, many Lebanese women have begun selling their own homemade goods (locally known as “mouneh”) in empty jars, but without any outside help, the exposure and reach of their fresh, homemade products are limited – as is the income they generate.   

In response, Puck, a Middle Eastern dairy company and a long-time ally of women across the region, is providing the means for Lebanese women to earn a steady income independently with the “Selfless Shelves” initiative, created with agency partner

FP7McCann. For the first time, the company is repurposing its own product – glass jars that typically hold cream cheese and dairy products – into a tool that allows women-owned, homegrown businesses to flourish and grow into full scale businesses and rebuild rural communities hit hard by the economic crisis.

To pilot the program, five women from across Lebanon were selected from different regions and religious backgrounds to have 4,000 of their products sold in Puck jars in four Carrefour branches across the country. The initiative empowers these women to sell their delicious homemade products such as pumpkin jam (Marlene), makdous (Rima), orange peel (Samira), sumac (Fadwa), and zaatar (Najla), while simultaneously fulfilling Puck’s sustainability goals by giving their classic glass jars a second life. Puck also collaborated with food regulation and safety-licensed Lebanese corporations to ensure product safety and freshness.  

“How can you not be proud when seeing your own name on a product?” said Marlene Mhanna, one of the women entrepreneurs for “Selfless Shelves.” 

Said Federico Fanti, chief creative officer of FP7McCann, “It’s all about leveraging what the brand does best by providing a solution to a real human challenge created by the Lebanese economic crisis. By boosting the act of selling mouneh into a larger scale business, giving these women more exposure, and providing them with the means to expand further, Puck is strengthening their status as a true support system for female entrepreneurs.” 

The campaign will have a direct in-store activation and branding with shelf space in four Carrefour grocery branches, influencer, and PR support, as well as a YouTube documentary film with one episode focusing on each woman. While it is currently focused on the Lebanese communities, the company intends to expand to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, among other areas. The campaign will run for a total of six weeks, having just begun in Lebanon on January 22nd 2024.