Ju Lubianca, Luís Medeiros, Francisco Dias, Ricardo Henriques, José Pedro Abreu
Sovena
A global leader in the olive oil and edible fats industry, known for iconic brands like Oliveira da Serra and Fula.
Challenge
To align Sovena’s brand identity with its DNA, purpose, and increasing relevance in a global and complex ecosystem.
As Sovena matured (since 1956), with time its brand had become outdated, lacking emotional resonance and detachment from its unique scale, plurality, and potential. The challenge was to refine Sovena’s vision and values, transitioning it from a producer-driven image to one centered on its broader purpose and role in feeding futures.
Key questions emerged: How to leverage Sovena’s expertise to fuel new growth? How to align the brand with its DNA in a globally relevant way? How to inspire and unite stakeholders through a renewed purpose?
Outcome
A revitalized brand that transcends its products and embodies its purpose. Sovena’s new identity reflects its DNA, history, legacy and aspirations while inspiring employees, partners, and consumers to embrace the company’s new mission: “Feeding Futures.”
The process aligned Sovena’s core values, essence, and voice with a new visual identity and tagline, creating a powerful framework to guide its journey for the next century.
A bold move had to be made: abandoning the representation of the olive, which relates to a mono-product, and moving on to an image tied not to what Sovena produces but to what Sovena really is: “Feeding Futures” was the answer we were looking for.
Our role and goal
From Legacy to Future: Redefining Sovena’s Brand to Feeding Futures
The goal was to transform Sovena’s legacy into a future-oriented brand narrative that embraces its mission, engages stakeholders, and drives sustainable growth. The approach involved aligning Sovena’s vision with its DNA to build a cohesive brand strategy that integrates the company’s history and aspirations. It also included redefining core brand elements such as values, beliefs, and essence, while crafting a visual identity that inspires and energizes. Additionally, the narrative shift aimed to focus not only on what Sovena produces but also on what it represents in the broader ecosystem.
Research
When the brand culture, the emotional pragmatism, the dimension, the colors, the whole strategy and the new tagline – feeding futures – came together, we knew we had reached gold.
Design Exploration
How can a brand’s past inspire a future that goes beyond just sales?
Brand System
The company’s mission is to add value to the food chain, with decisions that are both sustained and sustainable. Sovena pioneers new paths for all, planet Earth included, culminating in a commitment: After growing for over a century, it’s time to feed the next one.
From the old symbol – the O – to the new – the S – the brand opens possibilities, feeding not one, but several futures.
Research
Results
Sovena’s essence is built on a balance of tradition and curiosity for innovation, shifting its focus from a mono-product (olive oil) to a broader food ecosystem perspective. The company’s true potential lies in its ability to “feed futures” sustainably, supporting people, communities, and the planet. With growing consumer demand for sustainable and transparent food systems, Sovena needed to take a bold, visionary brand stance.
The outcome of this transformation was the creation of Sovena’s new brand identity. This included defining five core values centered on sustainability, innovation, and collaboration, alongside the tagline “Feeding Futures” to express its purpose. A new visual identity was developed, moving from the olive-focused “O” to the dynamic “S” to represent Sovena’s adaptability and multiplicity. Five brand design proposals were explored, leading to a unified and future-forward identity. The process also inspired initiatives such as the development of Sovena’s innovation and sustainability structures, the creation of the New Ventures unit, and the rebranding of Oliveira da Serra and Fula.
