Saida's Kitchen: Range relaunch

When I first met Saida I was immersed in African food, in part the recipes and flavours, and in part the dynamics of population growth and migration that will increase its relevance over the coming years.

Saida asked me to re-launch her African food brand, which at the time was named SAIDA MIA. Given the resources available, it was clear that we needed to establish a strong foundation as a step to even greater things when the category saw mainstream potential.

So, when few were listening, I helped Saida relaunch the business, with a rebranding, DTC website & digital, content & marketing, product development and product manufacture.

The approach was to create and make a range of regionally inspired sauces and pastes, and build a relatively simple brand, rich foodie content, and website from which Saida could sell direct to consumers.

With these foundations, Saida could then undertake her marketing to build awareness, and take a step on to the next stage. I provided growth mentoring to help her do this.

The approach paid off; as the trend moved in the right direction, Saida gained support from Mission Ventures, and engaged with the Thrive with Sainsbury’s incubator programme. The retailer supported Black founder-led food and drink brands on their journey from start-up to supermarket.