Born in Korea and raising a family far away from home, in Europe, Kelly Choi felt that this is the time to do something to bring her loved ones closer to her roots. So, the entrepreneur launched Kelly Loves, a line of Asian food that is available on the store shelves across the UK and Europe. Aside from delivering a taste that reminds everyone of Asian cuisine, the Kelly Loves snacks come with a brand and packaging identity that perfectly blends with authenticity and accessibility, thanks to the work put in by Without creative agency.
Kelly Loves was contoured so that Choi, also the founder of Kelly Deli and Sushi Daily, has something tangible—Asian food—to bring to the Western market. Studies have demonstrated that authenticity is the key ingredient that makes consumers buy Asian food in this part of the world. Thanks to the London-based agency, consumers can now taste the unique flavors of the snacks and admire a design that communicates Eastern motifs in an authentic yet approachable way to non-Asian markets.
Kelly Choi uncovers the strong side of her brand: “We source the highest-quality ingredients, and what we produce is 100% authentic. It was very important that our new off-the-shelf range was brought to market in a way that would be attractive to the modern Western palate while staying true to its roots. We’d seen Without’s considerable body of work in the food and beverage sector and felt they were the perfect fit for us.”
In this day and age, consumers who show an interest in pan-Asian food are faced with specialist Eastern brands which, although authentic, can prove to be unfamiliar and intimidating. Worse, they might prove to be a bad version of the Western type, relying on clichés and lack credibility to sell. Yet, Without managed to give birth to a language that connects the two worlds, inviting Western shoppers to access to real Eastern flavors with ease.
To harmonize the look with the unique flavors, the creative studio analyzed the traditional line drawings and cartoon styles of the East and then the team created a fresh, authentic aesthetically-pleasing language and tone of voice that speaks about the real values of the Asian market, putting the founder of Kelly Love at the heart of the brand story.
Roly Grant, Creative Director, Without, explains the background of the brand name: “Kelly Choi has such integrity and passion, and we wanted to get that across. We decided upon the ‘Kelly Loves’ name as it is completely adaptable and celebrates the fact that founder Kelly is a chef, mum, and provider who wants to look after her customers. During the collaboration process, Kelly frequently mentioned that she would only sell what she was happy to feed her young daughter, so this became a central tenet of our approach. We developed Asian-inspired line drawings of a mother and daughter interacting to bring the brand to life and provide cohesion across the range. The two characters allow us to demonstrate different product attributes – light, healthy, balanced, for example – in an engaging, friendly way.”
So, it’s understandable that the visuals for the brand identity are represented by a cute little girl who is lifted up into the air by a balloon, therefore pointing to the light side of the product. Then, the founder’s daughter walks along a chopstick, expressing the fact that the snack is perfectly balanced. When layered over the packaging of the bags, the illustrations leave consumers in no doubt as to what they are buying.
Kelly Choi adds: “Without’s approach is completely consumer-centric; they’ve created a universal yet original brand identity and language that will appeal to everyone, from true foodies to those experimenting with Eastern flavors for the first time. Without pushed boundaries and made me think about my brand positioning, giving me the confidence to put my name to the range.”
Eric Fleurance, Business Development Director, Kelly Loves, explains why there’s a reason for big expectations: “The Without team have created a fresh identity and ownable position for the Kelly Loves brand in the Asian food category. Our partners have been wholly positive and can’t wait to start selling the product range.”
The Kelly Loves range will be available from mid-July in supermarkets across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands and from September across the UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark. Until then, quench your thirst with the design packaging that the London-based agency gently developed for the impending food brand!
