There comes a time in every brand’s life, when its owners need to plan how to maintain sustainable growth for the future.

Traditionally the options have been to go to the markets to raise capital; or to look for a larger, more established partner. With the former option now less viable due the global economy, the latter is perhaps a more realistic option for businesses looking to take their brands to the next level. It’s interesting, then, that the sale of a minority stake to Coca-Cola should provoke criticism of Innocent from some quarters.

From a branding point of view, partnering with a more experienced company can actually bring greater clarity of focus on your core values and brand essence - illustrative case studies include Kiehl’s with L’Oreal, Ben & Jerry’s with Unilever and Green & Black’s with Cadbury.

As one of our senior consultants, Nikki Reeves summarised, “It’s the balancing act between staying true to the core values of your brand – whilst finding ways retaining relevance to your consumers over the years”.

What will be fascinating to observe is how Innocent develops with access to the expanded opportunities and expertise of the Coca-Cola organisation. Not the end of this brand story by any means, but just the start of the next chapter…