March 3, 2019
Al Rifai
The original Middle Eastern roastery
Al Rifai
Re-establishing category leadership by reconnecting to the brand origins.
Al Rifai is a tradition for all Middle Easterners. Every home, every kitchen, and every dining table will have Al Rifai products of one sort or another; this has been true for decades.
Since the first Al Rifai shop opened in the backstreets of Beirut in 1948, the company has been producing some of the highest quality flavours of roasted nuts and coffee in the region. Today, with over 300 products sold in 30 shops across 20 countries, Al Rifai is the Middle East’s largest, best-known roasted nuts and coffee brand.
In recent years, the brand has gone through rapid geographic expansion supported by extensive product development, and with that growth came dilution in the brand identity. Furthermore, product and packaging innovation slowed down, taking a back seat to physical expansion of operations. This situation resulted in the decline of both market share and customer mindshare.
Recognising these challenges, owners Al Homaizi Group in Kuwait approached Ninth Space to undertake an in-depth revitalisation program. Our first task was to re-establish the origins of the brand that made it successful in the first place and to interpret it meaningfully in today’s world – and for tomorrow’s audiences.
Ninth Space began a year-long journey with the team at Al Rifai; a comprehensive brand audit uncovered the causes of major gaps that were not being addressed, which enabled the development of a brand strategy. This new strategy capitalised on the traditions, unique attributes, and assets of the company.
Brand audit
Market insights
Brand strategy
Brand identity
Brand language
Packaging design
Photography development
Illustration development
Retail concept
Design development
Brand guidelines
Brand engagement
Ultimately, we were able to help Al Rifai re-establish and reposition itself as the category leader and foremost innovator in the market through a set of tangible tools and ownable narrative. The brand story re-engaged with customers on a personal level through knowledge sharing of recipes, origins, allergens, seasonality, and health attributes. In doing so, we re-established the Al Rifai brand as the originator and leader in their category.
Coining the phrase “Irresistible Since 1948,” we helped Al Rifai take ownership of the “Roastery” concept as a curated world of nuts, coffee, kernels, herbs, spices, and sweets centred around the process of great recipes, flavours, and roasting. The result of the brand strategy was a simpler, clearer, and more understandable portfolio.
Brand development to grow business opportunity.
Ninth Space demonstrated that the removal of non-core products and the refocusing on quality over quantity enabled Al Rifai to address current and future customer needs more effectively and efficiently. Developing a single label for both retail and supermarket formats for the premium range of both roasted nuts and coffee, creating a clearly differentiated healthy lifestyle label that aligns with the premium label, and introducing a separate value label for kitchen and cooking use products that are endorsed by the Al Rifai brandmark, allow customers to immediately understand what they are getting from the company.
Lastly, the introduction and development of the Minis range capitalised on the bulk purchasing capabilities of the business. The smaller gauges (quantities) of nuts and kernels are no longer discarded as before, and instead are repackaged in small sized packs for younger audiences through playful branding. These Minis are sold at more impulse purchase points such as cashiers, vending machines, cinemas, and schools.
More impactful on the shelf.
Packaging style and size was a major reconsideration in the brand development. Market share losses in some markets (including Saudi Arabia) were largely due to the pack sizes and shelf impact, both of which were not as effective as their competitors. Based on insights gained from research and sales data, we recommended a considerable rethink of pack sizes, types, and branding on resale products.
In order to ensure that the brand conveys its heritage and provenance, as well as its years of innovation, we developed a brand language that leveraged and communicated the authenticity of their products and recipes within a modern and simple branding style.
Roastery retail experience re-imagined
We also re-imagined the complete shop experience for Al Rifai; results from site visits and shopper behaviour studies allowed us to create a more fluid, engaging, and seamless experience in the retail stores. The retail planning and product zoning placements became complementary and capitalised on the newly reconfigured product portfolio.
The design style instilled a blend of modernity built on tradition, portraying a premium quality brand through boutique Middle Eastern delicatessen cues. In-store communications focused on bringing out the authenticity and provenance of the products by focusing on ingredient originals, seasonality, benefits, and nutritional values.
Greater market share by focusing on hearts and minds.
The outcome of the brand work has enabled Al Rifai to reconnect to their original purpose, and experience new growth with a more cosmopolitan audience that believes in the power of choice without sacrificing the value of tradition and authenticity.
