VEGA
Building a plant-based pioneer
VEGA was founded by a vegan triathlete and an entrepreneur, who found success in a niche market of vegans in British Columbia. When private equity firm VMG invested in the business, they asked us to help pivot the brand to tap into a nascent plant-based trend in the US.
Through research, we learned we had several biases to overcome among non-vegan consumers, who questioned both the appetite appeal and nutritional performance of vegan nutrition. But our foresight work showed that consumers were looking for clean alternatives to dairy and meat as sources of protein. VEGA fit this bill perfectly—we just needed to transform the way it spoke and presented itself.
from vegan diet
to clean plant-based nutrition
We reinvented the brand, across positioning, architecture, and design. We did away with low-impact sub-brands, and renamed the core product “VEGA One” to give the range an anchor. We also developed a new pack design and look & feel, marrying the efficacy cues of OTC with the natural cues of vegan.
The success of the new VEGA was swift and huge. The brand enjoyed a highly successful exit for all investors when it was acquired by WhiteWave, where it continued to grow by double digits. VEGA is now known as a leader in the plant-based category it helped create.
What we did: Consumer Insights, Foresight Analysis, Brand Positioning, Logo and Identity Systems, Brand Architecture, Packaging Design