Industry guide
Top branding agencies for food and drink brands
The best food and drink agency for a product depends on where customers meet it and what choice they need to make. A global food brand, a new beverage and a restaurant group require different work. This shortlist focuses on published cases involving identity, packaging and brand experience, rather than treating attractive pack shots as proof of commercial performance.
Ten food and drink agencies to consider
01 Jones Knowles Ritchie
JKR’s Burger King work is a direct example of a large food brand refreshing a familiar identity and carrying it across products, packaging and restaurants. It is relevant to brands with strong existing assets that need to work harder across markets and formats. Ask how the team would protect recognition while improving range clarity. Burger King
02 FutureBrand
FutureBrand’s Nespresso work spans packaging, retail and brand experience for a premium coffee business. It is a useful comparison where a product brand has to connect ecommerce, stores, membership and physical packaging. Ask how the agency distinguishes the central brand idea from the execution needed in each channel. Nespresso
03 COLLINS
COLLINS developed Sweetgreen’s brand system with its in-house team across stores, packaging, marketing and digital products. This is relevant to a food business whose brand is experienced in a physical environment as much as on a shelf. Ask how the identity helps customers understand the menu and move through the service. Sweetgreen
04 Elmwood
Elmwood’s Ribena work refreshed a well-known drink brand while retaining familiar assets. The case is useful when a brand needs to regain attention without discarding the cues that make it recognisable. Ask what research informed the identity and how the system handles different flavours and pack sizes. Ribena
05 BrandOpus
BrandOpus’s Jell-O rebrand builds on the product’s distinctive character while updating packaging across the range. It is a relevant reference for legacy products that need to feel current without losing what customers remember. Ask how the team would balance a central identity with flavour or product-level navigation. Jell-O
06 Wildish & Co.
Wildish & Co.’s Divine Chocolate work draws on the company’s farmer-owned and Fairtrade roots. The case is useful when provenance is part of the brand’s substance and needs to be represented accurately, not as decorative shorthand. Ask how research and client review shape the use of people, place and origin in the visual system. Divine Chocolate
07 Taxi Studio
Taxi Studio created the 2026 Warburtons packaging refresh, working with Studio DRAMA on a custom typeface. The work addresses the practical challenge of keeping a large bakery range recognisable across many packs. Ask how the agency will coordinate distinctive assets with the information customers need to compare products. Warburtons
08 Design Bridge and Partners
The Pastiglie Leone work uses the confectionery brand’s Italian heritage to create a more unified portfolio. It is useful to a food business with a long history and a wide range that has grown unevenly. Ask how the agency distinguishes evidence of heritage from familiar visual tropes. Pastiglie Leone
09 Stranger & Stranger
Stranger & Stranger’s Martini and Tonic ready-to-serve work refreshes an established drinks brand while connecting its vermouth and sparkling-wine ranges. The case is relevant to beverage portfolios where pack architecture and heritage need to work together. Ask how the team would make new variants easy to navigate without fragmenting the masterbrand. Martini and Tonic
10 Greater Good
Greater Good’s Riviera Iced Tea case covers brand identity, packaging and retail strategy for a new drink entering a crowded category. It is useful for a challenger brand establishing a reason to choose it before it has the recognition of larger competitors. Ask how the positioning will translate to packaging, wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels. Riviera Iced Tea
Make the choice easy at the point of purchase
Bring the product range, sales channels and shelf context into the brief. Identify what a customer should notice first, how variants differ and which product facts must remain clear. If the brand also includes a restaurant, subscription or direct-sales offer, show how those experiences connect to the pack rather than asking one identity to solve every channel in the same way.
Standout project
Wildish & Co.’s Divine Chocolate case is a strong editorial feature because the company’s ownership and sourcing story are central to the brand. The agency describes an illustration-led system built around the people and origins behind the product. That provides a concrete question for food brands: how can packaging tell a provenance story while remaining accurate, respectful and easy to understand at a glance?
Review the relationship between the illustrations, product range and core identity, then ask what evidence supports each story shown on pack. Project and visual research
Visual research note: The official case includes packaging and illustration work. Confirm reuse permission with Wildish & Co. and Divine Chocolate, and verify any representation of farmers and origin with the client. No visible caption is proposed.
Questions readers ask
What should a food branding agency deliver?
Depending on the brief, it may deliver positioning, naming, identity, packaging, range architecture and retail or digital applications. Confirm whether print-ready production and regulatory information are included.
How can food packaging stand out?
Give customers clear navigation and a recognisable brand cue, then use colour, typography and imagery to make the product’s difference visible. Test the system at real size and in the actual retail context.
Does a premium food product need premium design?
It needs design that matches its product, price and customer expectations. Premium codes are not a strategy on their own; clarity and credibility still matter.
How this list was chosen
About That Brand compares agencies through documented work that is relevant to the specific industry and buying problem. Inclusion is editorial, not paid. A place on this list is not a guarantee of availability or fit: confirm the proposed team, scope, fees and evidence directly before appointing an agency.
