Authentic founder-led brand, Belazu started life as The Fresh Olive Company, with founders Adam Wells and George Bennell sourcing incredible olives from quality producers across the Mediterranean. The range of premium ingredients being brought back to the UK grew, and the business established a loyal following within the UK restaurant scene. Today, Belazu is known and loved as a supplier of chef grade ingredients, bringing exciting, quality products from across the Mediterranean and Middle East to a core and loyal customer base within food service and casual dining. Belazu sells to consumers too, and although people knew (and raved) about certain products, when it came to the brand, there was little or no recollection.
Belazu became a B-Corp in October 2021 and has ambition to double the size of the business by 2027. For this growth to be achieved in the right way, growing retail sales in the UK and Internationally will be key.
From product to brand.
Making the shift to a brand-led business involves bold decision making. As a brand in retail, Belazu was getting lost on shelf with packaging design that was referred to as ‘camouflage green’. People knew and loved, ‘Rose Harissa’ or ‘Beldi Lemons’ but had no recollection that these exciting products were from Belazu. It was time for brave brand behaviour empowered by the right strategic thinking.
Here we capture four brand building take-outs from David Balmer speaking alongside B&B’s Kerry Bolt at London Packaging Week this September.
Partnership and the value in trust and challenge
Effective collaboration starts with honest conversations. Initially engaged to evolve the brand on shelf in retail, the team at B&B were keen to take a step back and get under the skin of Belazu strategically. It was necessary to get a better understanding the nature of the business and how its dual role in both food service and grocery was impacting brand behaviour. These conversations identified the need for a refreshed brand positioning which would celebrate Belazu’s relationship with chefs more boldly, connecting this truth to the consumer proposition.
Unlock what makes you special
Belazu was founded to serve chefs. The brands new positioning reignites this truth, making it relevant to consumers through a new brand proposition ‘Loved & Trusted Chef-Grade Ingredients’. By boldly stating that consumers can enjoy exactly the same ingredients that top chefs use in their kitchens – thus inviting people into the creative community of a chefs world – the proposition helps unite both retail and food service around a common brand vision.
Be bold. Be brave.
As Belazu’s authentic brand came to life more vividly through strategy, it became clear that a more revolutionary approach to brand identity would be required. Moving from Belazu’s earthy green to a new azure brand colour was a bold move, but was one that would transform its identity from a subtle curator-style sign-off to a brand that wants to be noticed. The new brand colour also works to make sense of the name – a combination of bella and azure, and inspired by the seas and skies of the Mediterranean. Of course change like this can be scary, but when it is managed in the context of strategic thinking and business objectives it pays to be brave.
Play the long game.
In the words of David Balmer, ‘a rebrand marks the start of your brand building journey’. Rebranding is about playing the long game, setting the foundations for the future. The right brand foundations will empower both tactical activations and communication strategies, allowing you to tell the stories that will make you known and loved. The work has just begun.
