The acquisition of Australasian based Frucor Beverages Limited by global giant Suntory Group prompted the opportunity to explore how the antipodean and Japanese cultures could create powerful ways of working together. An entrepreneurial company from the get-go, Frucor was born in New Zealand back in the sixties, whilst Suntory was a mainstay in Japan since 1899, employing some 38,000 people around the world.

A new purpose for the NZ/AU business was developed, ‘Hungry to make drinks better’, that established a point of view on the challenge regarding sugar, while also enabling a much-needed innovation mindset to grow. The evolution of a set of six values down to three was settled upon that supported the new purpose, and would resonate and unify both the Kiwi and Australian cultures.

A key consideration of this project was the evolution and alignment of ‘much loved’ values that would better reflect the new purpose and vision and integrate the spirit of the Suntory Group. 

The rebrand project was intensive and spanned some 12 months. Our challenge, to create a brand that represented the combined strength of two companies while reflecting the unique spirit inherent in each. The core idea, an evolution of the pre-existing Frucor leaf device reimagined to express the place where both brands intersected – a droplet of pure concentrated energy.