Erisco vs The Customer Review: How One Arrest Wiped Out a Decade of Brand Equity

In a world where social listening is free, Erisco Foods Ltd. chose violence.

What started as a regular Facebook post from a customer who simply didn’t enjoy a can of Nagiko Tomato Mix ended in handcuffs, nationwide outrage, and a PR disaster that textbook case studies are made of.

The Review That Shook a Brand

The post was honest — not defamatory, not slanderous, just a consumer’s opinion.
She said she didn’t like the taste.
And instead of replying with a refund or feedback form, Erisco allegedly mobilized police.

Let that sink in.

A company in 2023 believed the best way to handle a negative product review was to arrest the customer.

What followed was:

• A public outcry that trended on Twitter for days.

• Condemnation from rights groups, activists, and consumer watchdogs.

• Boycotts, memes, and thousands of one-star reviews flooding their social platforms.

• Multiple media outlets running “Erisco Arrests Customer” headlines.

For a brand whose entire business rests on household trust, this was the equivalent of setting fire to your own warehouse.

Where the PR Team Failed

Let’s break it down like marketers:

1. No Social Listening System

How did a Facebook post escalate this far?
A brand with proper sentiment tracking would’ve flagged it early — and responded with empathy.

READ ALSO: Why Sonia Tomato Paste Ad is going viral

 2. Ego Over Empathy

Instead of engaging the customer, they escalated.
The CEO’s statement didn’t help either — it reeked of defensiveness and image obsession, not resolution.

3. Zero Understanding of Internet Culture

They forgot the most important law of modern PR:

The Streisand Effect is real.

Trying to suppress a small opinion only amplifies it.
By arresting one woman, they invited millions into the conversation.

What They Should’ve Done Instead

• Responded publicly with:
  “We’re sorry you had a bad experience. Please DM us your number — we’d love to make it right.”

• Sent a small gift basket. Maybe even invite her to visit the factory.

• Used it as a PR moment to talk about product quality, batch consistency, or improvements.

That’s how brands turn critics into fans.
Not with police reports.

The Collateral Damage

The biggest losers weren’t just the PR team — it was every product on the shelf with the name Erisco.

When consumers started saying “I don’t buy oppression with my stew,” it wasn’t a joke.
Trust dropped. Sales dropped.
And a brand that had built a decent name in homes suddenly became a warning case in brand WhatsApp groups.

The SoroSoke Take

The customer is not always right.
But they always have a microphone now.

And if your first reaction to criticism is arrest, you’re not protecting your brand — you’re proving it’s too fragile to be in business.

TL;DR

• One review. One bad decision. National fallout.

• Erisco Foods forgot that reputation isn’t built in factories — it’s built online.

• In a world of screenshots, humility is the best PR strategy.

More brand flops coming in this series.

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