Freshko
Client
Job Description
- Brand positioning
- Core brand story
- Visual identity and assets
- Go to market strategy
- National launch campaign
Summary
Freshko was built from the ground up by turning a simple insight into a strong idea: this wasn’t just an importer, they actually grew their own fruit. That became the “pick-to-bottle” story. Paired with HPP technology, the juice tastes fresh and keeps its nutrients, making it feel more real and premium than what’s already on the market. The launch took off quickly, gained strong distribution, and immediate pressure on established players.
The Freshko Story: From Middleman to Market Disruptor
Where we started
Before Freshko came to be, Koev & Koev, Bulgaria’s leading citrus importer, moved massive amounts of fruit from Greece, but the business was a grind of huge volumes and paper-thin margins. The owner knew the only way out of the “commodity trap” was to stop just selling fruit and start owning a brand. So he partnered with Aquabar – Bulgaria’s leader in HPP (high-pressure preservation) technology.
The Unlock
The original plan was simple: build a brand and launch a drink. But the market was crowded, full of powerful competitors.
How do we gain an edge?
During the deep dive into the business, a massive hidden advantage came to light. It turned out the company didn’t just buy oranges; they held huge tracts of land in Greece under lease.
They weren’t just a logistics company – they were growers. This realization changed everything. We built the brand around a pick-to-bottle story “from our own gardens”, giving them a level of authenticity that most juice brands just can’t touch.
The Product
The result was Freshko. By using HPP (also known as cold pasteurization), they created a drink that kept the “straight-from-the-tree” taste and the vitamins that usually die off in standard supermarket juices or their more premium “fresh juice bar” offerings. It was designed to hit the market from two sides. It was fresher and healthier than the juice bar options, and compared to big corporate brands it felt more premium, authentic and most of all – tasty & healthy.
What we created
- Brand positioning
- Core brand story
- Visual identity and assets
- Go to market strategy
- National launch campaign
How it went down
Freshko’s launch was a great success, building a strong market penetration and an impressive numeric distribution quickly. It landed in major retail chains and made its way into large coffee chains.
The best proof of its success, though, was the reaction from the competition. One of the market leaders felt the heat so much they had to launch a massive billboard campaign just to try and reclaim the “from our own gardens” narrative. Even with the giants fighting back, Freshko held its ground. And what started as a market experiment by a category outsider is now a dominant brand that the big players can’t afford to ignore.
Cheers to the challengers!
