Alternative seafood firm OLALA! seeks to break through 'ordinary taste experiences' with new brand by Everland

Scandinavian consumer branding and design agency Everland has worked with French alternative food company OLALA! to create a fresh brand proposition and identity for its vegan-friendly products.

French founders François Blum and Simon Ferniot knew taste was key to success and wanted a a brand that would 'break through ordinary taste experiences'.

Together, they worked on defining and designing the brand positioning, communication platform, brand activation and visual identity with Everland, which has worked on branding and design for major food businesses such as Carlsberg and Danone.

"We want to make waves," says Simon Ferniot, CEO & co-founder at OLALA!. "We're here to challenge the market but do it sustainably. Everland helped build a platform for breaking through the ordinary and creating lasting change for the better."

OLALA! has created a product not just for vegans and vegetarians but for anyone craving seafood. It was essential to encapsulate the taste ambition and express it at every brand touchpoint, even while casually mentioning it to your next-door neighbour. The name reflects a well-known feeling – 'Oh là là' – indicating a pleasant surprise. All communication builds on great taste and the feeling of eating good seafood.

Mads Hauge Lindum, senior brand strategist at Everland, adds: "When nearly all competitors focus on rationality and sustainability, we focus on the emotional aspects of having a great meal. Desires and tastes make for a much more robust platform.

Everland drew inspiration from the bistro, aiming for premium yet subtle, active yet understated.

The aim was to focus on the meal centre stage. The off-white resembles the tablecloth, while illustrations are golden, up-lifted and outlined, and the logotype reminds you that what you put on your plate is surprisingly good, healthy, and good for the environment.

"OLALA! is about taste in more than one way," Carl Larsson, creative director & partner at Everland, explains. "It's about the craft, creativity, and a mouth-watering sensation steaming on your plate. It's understated confidence, verbally and visually; it's what's needed to make change happen."

So far, OLALA! has six products on the market: 'Salmonderful', available in raw, cooked or smoked; 'Tunalicious', raw or cooked; and 'Toramazing', a plant-based version of the ever-famous Greek Tarama. All contain key algae ingredients. More products will soon be launched.