Drawn from over 1,000 companies, our list has been meticulously curated based on areas of focus, successful projects, client reviews, pricing, and industry recognitions. You can customize your search and filter them by team size, budget, fees, and other parameters. Additionally, we provide insight into our rigorous agency selection process that's designed to identify the top firms for F&B branding.

The Number 1 Food and Beverage Branding Agency as Selected by DesignRush Is...

1. Upstart Food Brands

• Best for: Overall
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2015
• Location: St. Louis, MO
• Notable clients: Karuna, Blends By Orly, Foraged & Found, Saucy Rebellion, Cajou

A leading boutique, full-service branding agency specializing in food and beverages, Upstart Food Brands covers the entire brand commercialization process, providing food commodity entrepreneurs with brand story development, product mockups, custom photography and videography, brochure and menu design, pitch decks, identity materials, and merchandise design, among many other services.

Upstart’s team of professionals, alongside its industry partners in manufacturing and logistics, offers end-to-end support to diverse food business ventures, whether it's a small launch or a multinational expansion. From pioneering novel ingredients to refreshing an old brand, Upstart delivers a distinct personality, voice, and style to every client.

When Karuna, a wellness beverage brand, encountered an unclear information hierarchy, bland packaging, and failure to highlight product benefits, Upstart Food Brands stepped in for a complete rebranding effort to cover brand strategy, product naming, and packaging design. It developed a comprehensive 56-page report with recommendations, a target market and competitive landscape research, and a dynamic, sophisticated package design.

Ultimately, Upstart's cohesive rebranding initiatives with engaging storytelling and a premium package positioned Karuna as a competitive player in the plant-based beverage market.

Check Upstart Food Brands Agency Profile

2. Mudge

• Best for: Dairy products
• Average hourly rate: $150
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2022
• Location: Burbank, CA
• Notable clients: Beecher’s, Doozy Pots, Ian's, Fringe, Oberto

Blending creativity with strategic insights in the food commodities domain, Mudge offers core branding services like strategy workshops, brand story development, messaging strategy, naming and creative campaigns, identity design, brand activation, digital and social marketing, and in-store point-of-sale (POS) materials.

Mudge provides clients with the flexibility to curate bespoke programs through special service packages, namely, start-to-finish branding and packaging, a four-week innovation accelerator, a three-week emerging brand accelerator, and a brand activation subscription.

Beecher’s, a cheese brand, enlisted Mudge's services to assist with an anniversary campaign that also raised awareness for its expanded product line of drips, splashes, and frozen goods. Tasked with creative direction, product and lifestyle photography, video, and POS, Mudge produced 12 videos featuring real fan reviews, paired with macro shots of Beecher’s products. These were strategically deployed on YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Mudge’s campaign for the client generated 54 million impressions and a significant increase in sales and brand awareness, as indicated by post-campaign surveys.

Check Mudge Agency Profile

3. DePersico Creative

• Best for: Homemade casserole recipes
• Average hourly rate: $155
• Minimum budget: $1,000
• Founded: 1977
• Location: West Chester, PA
• Notable clients: Idahoan, Florida's Natural, DaVinci Pasta, Reese, Ball Park Buns & Rolls

Operating as a specialized food & beverage branding agency for over four decades, DePersico Creative is trusted by regional and national brands to develop strategic tools and decorative elements for generating interest, sparking purchasing decisions, and increasing profits. With a budget-friendly and agile pricing scheme, it ensures a holistic branding approach and accessibility to expert services, such as brand analysis, product positioning, naming and creative linguistics, logo and package design, photography, and marketing materials.

DePersico Creative revamped Idahoan's packaging design to modernize and enhance shelf appeal. The agency developed a new package concept that used enticing product photography and engaging language to convey a premium restaurant-quality product. It also extended its services to include marketing and sales materials, such as product imagery and POS displays.

The collaboration yielded a 75% increase in sales. Idahoan even received the Best New Product Award from Better Homes and Gardens based on votes from 80,000+ American consumers, and the Excellence Award in Design from the Paperboard Packaging Council.

Check DePersico Creative Agency Profile

4. Meyocks

• Best for: Spirits
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 1984
• Location: Des Moines, IA
• Notable clients: Foundry Distilling Company, Flying Dutchman Spirits, Copper Cross, Topco, Hy-Vee

As a dynamic, full-service branding agency with 40 years of food and beverage industry experience, Meyocks commits to helping businesses "Mean More®" by creating a value-driven F&B branding, with a specialty in spirits. Its services encompass market research and insights, strategy and planning, copy and graphic design, media buying, content and social media marketing, lead generation, package design, analytics, and PR.

A member of the Advertising and Marketing Independent Network (AMIN), Meyocks is connected to more than 50 independent agencies and 3,100+ communications professionals worldwide. This affiliation grants Meyocks global access to extensive media research, diverse marketing talent, and local market connections, enabling it to effectively respond to the clients’ changing requirements.

Foundry Distilling Company sought Meyocks' assistance with brand identity development and package design for its core line of vodka, rum, and gin. The agency created a branding system that blended heritage with contemporary aesthetics. As a result of Meyocks' efforts, the distillery gained traction locally, in Des Moines, as well as nationally. The team's packaging design work also received the Graphic Design USA American Package Design Award.

Check Meyocks Agency Profile

5. The Food Brand Guys

• Best for: Healthy nourishment
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2002
• Location: London, UK
• Notable clients: Gosh!, New Wharf Brewing, Nutrition Kitchen, Wraps & Wings, Naked Biotics

Elevating F&B brands into the spotlight for 20 years now, The Food Brand Guys caters to a wide range of clients, from disruptive newcomers to established market leaders, with the goal of forging lasting connections with their intended audience.

A certified B Corporation, the firm prioritizes creativity and delivering ideas with substantial value for investment through Your Brand Platform™. This is a proprietary brand design process involving the development of brand propositions and digital marketing strategies for an effective business launch and promotion.

One of many successful projects The Food Brand Guys took on was Gosh!, a vegan food brand looking to transition from a niche market to a mainstream audience. Upon analyzing historical data, the agency identified areas where the Gosh! community showed low engagement.

Its team then used exciting food photography and recipes for social media marketing to emphasize the client's selling point as a completely plant-based brand. The Food Brand Guy's revamped brand positioning for Gosh!, connected it to a broader consumer base, and tapped into the growing consumer trend towards healthier living.

Check The Food Brand Guys Agency Profile

6. Active Ingredients

• Best for: Canned goods
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2004
• Location: Sausalito, CA
• Notable clients: Chicken of the Sea, Genova Seafood, Lindsay, dosa, Amy's Kitchen

Headquartered in Sausalito, California, with staff members based in San Francisco, Portland, LA, New York, and Seattle, Active Ingredients is a boutique branding agency leveraging digital-forward strategies to amplify consumer packaged goods (CPG).

Active Ingredients excels in online ecosystem strategy, narratives, voice, brand positioning, messaging and copywriting, photography and animation, social media management, paid influencer partnerships, as well as recipe development and food styling. The agency's additional food and drinks branding capabilities extend to Amazon campaigns, promotions, and optimization.

A great example of Active Ingredients’ expertise is the Chicken of the Sea rebranding, brand image, digital presence, and consumer engagement strategies. To do this, the agency incorporated bright colors, ocean-inspired visuals, candid lifestyle photography, and rich sustainability stories into the client's website.

This aimed to foster trust, transparency of the manufacturing process, and a sense of community around the brand. The branding initiatives shifted Chicken of the Sea from being perceived solely as a seafood sourcer into a lifestyle brand with a unique perspective.

Check Active Ingredients Agency Profile

7. Aid&Abet

• Best for: Ready-to-eat meals
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2010
• Location: Philadelphia, PA
• Notable clients: Wok Street, Mai Sushi, Love Beets, Genji Sushi, NutriGreens

Aid&Abet is a specialized agency exclusively dedicated to branding consumer goods and natural food products. Acting as its clients' creative partner, Aid&Abet emphasizes the importance of uncovering brand stories and understanding the consumers' motivation for purchasing in order to convey authentic messaging. Its key services include brand identity creation, marketing strategy, website design and development, logo design, print and packaging design, and eCommerce.

A provider of on-the-go Asian-inspired dishes, Wok Street hired Aid&Abet to overhaul the visual identity and packaging design for its pre-packaged food offers. The brand refresh coincided with the business's evolving goals, like planned store expansions and menu updates, and the agency rose to the occasion.

Aid&Abet's brand identity and design solutions combined historical context, cultural elements, and strategic branding considerations to reimagine Wok Street's identity. Producing vibrant aesthetics with smarter labeling, the agency introduced a cohesive branding system while also facilitating scalability for the client.

Check Aid & Abet Agency Profile

8. FoodMix Marketing Communications

• Best for: Agricultural produce
• Average hourly rate: Inquire
• Minimum budget: Inquire
• Founded: 2000
• Location: Elmhurst, IL
• Notable clients: Gills Onions, Nature Fresh Farms, Smithfield, Rockit Apple, Broaster

FoodMix Marketing Communications is a full-service food & beverage branding agency whose expertise spans marketing consumer packaged goods (CPG), food processing, convenience stores, and the grocery perimeter. It has a team of data specialists, designers, storytellers, and strategic thinkers who share the same enthusiasm in keeping up with culinary trends and innovations. These professionals leverage the proprietary Brandmix™ process for building and executing the Brand Love groundwork.

FoodMix Marketing Communications offers research, strategy, creative services, communications, innovation in culinary ideation and market validation, as well as sales support.

FoodMix was presented by Gills Onions with an outdated corporate image that failed to reflect its standards and mission. To address this, the agency leveraged ads, posters, website design, social media, and PR that highlighted Gills' excellent quality. The centerpiece of the branding effort was the Onionology campaign which used strategic color nuances and stamps to symbolize the company's heritage and its forward-thinking approach.

Through innovative design and messaging, FoodMix elevated Gills as a leader in the industry, increasing its recognition, engagement, and loyalty among consumers and foodservice operators alike.

Check FoodMix Marketing Communications Agency Profile

9. Murmur Creative

• Best for: Coffee drinks
• Average hourly rate: $160
• Minimum budget: $25,000 - $50,000
• Founded: 2007
• Location: Portland, OR
• Notable clients: Central City Coffee, Vero Coffee & Gelato, Groundwork Coffee, Woodlawn Coffee, Ninkasi Brewing

As a B Corporation-certified F&B-focused branding agency, Murmur Creative values sustainability, healthy partnerships, and customer relationships, as well as supporting global and local communities. It's a one-stop shop for art, copy, and code, providing comprehensive expert branding and website solutions.

Murmur articulates the visionary essence of consumer products through developing brand guidelines, names, logos, print materials, and packaging designs. With a holistic approach to branding for food and drinks, it also offers eCommerce web design, hosting, and messaging, plus SEO and UI/UX design.

Central City Coffee partnered with Murmur Creative to design a packaging that would stand out on store shelves while embodying the brand's ethos of women empowerment. Together, they developed striking illustrations for the female archetypes.

The naming process went through iteration and refinement until they arrived at the perfect product names. The collaboration between Central City Coffee and Murmur resulted in branding and packaging that effectively resonated with buyers and also positively impacted the client's bottom line.

Check Murmur Creative Agency Profile

10. SMAKK Studios

• Best for: Sweets and snacks
• Average hourly rate: $165
• Minimum budget: $25,000 - $50,000
• Founded: 2011
• Location: Brooklyn, NY
• Notable clients: Little Spoon, Spare Food, Vikre, Floof, Liiv

SMAKK is a branding agency guiding brands in the F&B vertical to stand out both on the physical and digital shelves. It houses a team of seasoned strategists, creatives, and technologists who collaborate to solve business challenges and identify unique growth opportunities. SMAKK offers brand development services, alongside visual merchandising, retail readiness, eCommerce shipping programs, and omnichannel content planning, strategy, and execution.

When Little Spoon, a baby food brand, wanted to expand into the big-kid market, it turned to SMAKK Studios to craft packaging for the new product line. The agency used playful fonts and fun category and product names, original illustrations, and "power badges" to sprinkle excitement onto the design. Its services also extended to visual identity, graphic and user interface (UI) toolkit development, and brand photography.

As a result, the sophisticated aesthetic appealed to parents and children alike and made mealtime a delightful experience. The marketing toolkit provided by SMAKK enabled Little Spoon to effectively communicate its message across various channels and further strengthen its position in the food market.

Check Smakk Studios Agency Profile

How We Picked the Best Food & Beverage Branding Agencies

DesignRush assesses creativity, technical expertise, client satisfaction, and industry reputation when ranking firms with specialized branding service offers for food commodities and beverages. Leveraging our executive team of industry experts, we delve into each agency's portfolio and achievements that set them apart in the competitive landscape of F&B branding.

Here are the criteria we adhere to when selecting the top food and beverage branding agencies:

• Vetted reviews: Quality of work and client satisfaction defining their authority in the category
• Robust portfolio: Successful projects in branding for food and drinks, plus detailed case studies with processes and outcomes
• Accolades and press mentions: Noteworthy awards for innovation and thought leadership
• Team bios: Workforce's profiles, relevant F&B branding experience, and specializations needed in the field
• Food & branding expertise: Creativity and proven skills in brand identity, strategy, development, and positioning

Read the DesignRush Agency Ranking Methodology in detail and understand better the steps we take to curate our listing.

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