Kitopi
How we developed Kitopi’s brand strategy identity to drive its transition from b2b to a consumer-facing business
When brand revolutionised the way we think about food
When brand revolutionised the way we think about food
Six years post-launch, Kitopi was ready for its next phase of growth. Having evolved from a cloud kitchen model to launching its own brands and acquiring leading fast casual restaurants, the natural next step was to transition from start-up to scale-up and serve the consumer directly.
Six years post-launch, Kitopi was ready for its next phase of growth. Having evolved from a cloud kitchen model to launching its own brands and acquiring leading fast casual restaurants, the natural next step was to transition from start-up to scale-up and serve the consumer directly.
Six years post-launch, Kitopi was ready for its next phase of growth. Having evolved from a cloud kitchen model to launching its own brands and acquiring leading fast casual restaurants, the natural next step was to transition from start-up to scale-up and serve the consumer directly.
Brand Strategy
Brand Strategy
Brand Strategy
Brand Identity & Design
Brand Identity & Design
Brand Identity & Design
THE MARKET SHIFT
THE MARKET SHIFT
Primed and ready for a shift in food consumption habits
The pandemic accelerated the region’s reliance on food delivery, pushing cloud kitchens into the mainstream. As speed and convenience became the norm, variety and quality became the next battleground.
Kitopi disrupted the fast-casual category by going beyond logistics. It used its tech, systems, and culinary insight to satisfy a wide range of appetites, not just through delivery, but by creating and investing in food concepts people actually wanted and reaching them directly through its own consumer app.
No longer just a cloud kitchen operator, Kitopi had become a food empire in its own right. To capitalise on this unique position, we set out to craft a consistent narrative that could build long-term equity across every touchpoint.
The pandemic accelerated the region’s reliance on food delivery, pushing cloud kitchens into the mainstream. As speed and convenience became the norm, variety and quality became the next battleground.
Kitopi disrupted the fast-casual category by going beyond logistics. It used its tech, systems, and culinary insight to satisfy a wide range of appetites, not just through delivery, but by creating and investing in food concepts people actually wanted and reaching them directly through its own consumer app.
No longer just a cloud kitchen operator, Kitopi had become a food empire in its own right. To capitalise on this unique position, we set out to craft a consistent narrative that could build long-term equity across every touchpoint.
THE PROCESS
THE PROCESS
Aligning on vision and structure
Freedom. designed a collaborative discovery process to deeply understand Kitopi’s operations and the long-term vision behind its consumer-facing ambitions.
Discovery Sessions
Industry Research
Workshops
Brand Audit
Site Visits
1:1 In-Depth Interviews
Through our exploration, we uncovered Kitopi’s core consumer offering and the problem it solves, while mapping the different parts of the business and how they connect to customers.
The process also revealed the need for a brand architecture system that could support future ambitions of becoming a go-to food destination and allowing for future acquisitions and innovation under one unified brand world.
Freedom. designed a collaborative discovery process to deeply understand Kitopi’s operations and the long-term vision behind its consumer-facing ambitions.
Discovery Sessions
Industry Research
Workshops
Brand Audit
Site Visits
1:1 In-Depth Interviews
Through our exploration, we uncovered Kitopi’s core consumer offering and the problem it solves, while mapping the different parts of the business and how they connect to customers.
The process also revealed the need for a brand architecture system that could support future ambitions of becoming a go-to food destination and allowing for future acquisitions and innovation under one unified brand world.
THE STRATEGIC DIRECTION
THE STRATEGIC DIRECTION
Kitopi as one of many destinations
The multi-layered and diverse nature of the business model allows consumers to form different relationships with Kitopi, both directly and indirectly, through its owned restaurants and various experiences.
Our strategy focused on building equity for the master brand alongside its portfolio, supported by an endorsement system that reflected this diversity.
This enabled Kitopi to create a larger market footprint by leveraging its identity at the core, while giving structure to its many consumer touchpoints.
The multi-layered and diverse nature of the business model allows consumers to form different relationships with Kitopi, both directly and indirectly, through its owned restaurants and various experiences.
Our strategy focused on building equity for the master brand alongside its portfolio, supported by an endorsement system that reflected this diversity.
This enabled Kitopi to create a larger market footprint by leveraging its identity at the core, while giving structure to its many consumer touchpoints.
BRAND STRATEGY & IDENTITY
BRAND STRATEGY & IDENTITY
The food utopia
We positioned Kitopi as a food utopia — a world built on the limitless joy of creation, where every appetite can find its match.
At the heart of this world sits a brand manifesto shaped by bold ambition and a distinctly playful tone of voice. Kitopi isn’t just a food company, it’s a mad scientist with an insatiable obsession, cooking up magic at scale. The brand identity captures this energy with a system designed to feel inviting, imaginative, and endlessly generative.
We positioned Kitopi as a food utopia — a world built on the limitless joy of creation, where every appetite can find its match.
At the heart of this world sits a brand manifesto shaped by bold ambition and a distinctly playful tone of voice. Kitopi isn’t just a food company, it’s a mad scientist with an insatiable obsession, cooking up magic at scale. The brand identity captures this energy with a system designed to feel inviting, imaginative, and endlessly generative.
Extending the surreal into reality
We translated that spirit into a visual and verbal identity that extends the surreal into the everyday. But the work didn’t stop at aesthetics.
We developed a brand architecture and endorsement system to bring clarity across Kitopi’s diverse portfolio. This included a masterbrand structure that links owned restaurant concepts and strategic partners back to the world of Kitopi, and an endorsement scale built to flex across digital and print, always calibrated by marketing objective.
This is a brand that doesn’t just serve food. It builds a world around it.
We translated that spirit into a visual and verbal identity that extends the surreal into the everyday. But the work didn’t stop at aesthetics.
We developed a brand architecture and endorsement system to bring clarity across Kitopi’s diverse portfolio. This included a masterbrand structure that links owned restaurant concepts and strategic partners back to the world of Kitopi, and an endorsement scale built to flex across digital and print, always calibrated by marketing objective.
This is a brand that doesn’t just serve food. It builds a world around it.
THE OUTCOME
THE OUTCOME
When it comes to food, think Kitopi
To become the leading creator and partner for boundless food experiences, we developed a positioning that delivered a singular story across diverse customer interactions. It created emotional clarity for three key audiences: consumers, Kitopi employees, and partners.
This shift not only unified internal and external narratives, it also gave Kitopi the confidence to scale. The new brand identity laid the foundation for breakthrough campaigns, including the record-setting “10 Restaurants, 10 Days, 10 AED” initiative, which brought in over 100,000 new customers in just ten days.
To become the leading creator and partner for boundless food experiences, we developed a positioning that delivered a singular story across diverse customer interactions. It created emotional clarity for three key audiences: consumers, Kitopi employees, and partners.
This shift not only unified internal and external narratives, it also gave Kitopi the confidence to scale. The new brand identity laid the foundation for breakthrough campaigns, including the record-setting “10 Restaurants, 10 Days, 10 AED” initiative, which brought in over 100,000 new customers in just ten days.
