what makes a luxury food brand?

Creating a luxury product or brand doesn’t happen by accident. Instead, you’ll need a strategic and carefully thought out plan if you want to break into the luxury market. In the food and drink industry, the luxury sector encompasses supermarket ranges right up to imported specialties that sell for thousands of pounds/dollars per ounce.

While the high price points are attractive for businesses, earning recognition as a luxury brand takes effort. To ensure you’ve got the core values associated with a luxury product or service, take a look at these key elements that go into creating a luxury food brand:

1. Quality

It should go without saying that an upmarket brand delivers high quality products. In reality, this isn’t always the case. When people assume that a high price equates to high quality, they’re often disappointed. While businesses may secure one sale by pitching a standard product as luxury, they won’t garner a second one. Furthermore, the trust between consumer and brand is broken when the buyer feels they’ve been misled or oversold.

If you want to be successful within the luxury food market, it’s essential to deliver products and services that are worthy of the recognition. With top quality ingredients, carefully honed recipes or sustainably sourced rare stock, you can begin creating products that have what it takes to succeed within the luxury sector.

2. Branding

No matter how good your product is, it won’t be viewed as opulent unless your branding supports this. That’s one of the reasons why food marketing is so important. Attributing certain values to your brand establishes your business as a provider of luxury goods or services. Perhaps you want to tap into a target audience that views luxury food purchases as indulgent, opulent or decadent? Maybe you’re aiming for a demographic that buys luxury foods as standard?

Whatever your aims, branding is key to success. With the right marketing and core branding elements, you can establish your products and services as a luxury purchase and set the price point accordingly.

3. Customer Service

When people buy a luxury product, they expect to receive standout customer service. Going the extra mile for your customers, responding positively to bespoke requests and remembering the customer’s preferences are just some of the ways luxury brands differentiate themselves from their competitors.

As luxury products and services are typically priced well above average, your customers or clients will want to receive exemplary service from the get-go. Whether you’re selling online or in a face-to-face environment, the level of service you offer will have a direct impact on whether your business is viewed as a luxury brand.

4. Exclusivity

Products that can be purchased easily or in numerous outlets are rarely considered to be luxury. Instead, exclusivity is a mark of rarity and, therefore, indicative of a product’s worth. In fact, some of the most coveted luxury goods are those which are almost impossible to buy! When you have to add your name to a waiting list for a table at a top restaurant, for example, the exclusivity adds to the opulence of the venue.

When you’re launching a food brand, it’s important to consider how your products or services will be sold, particularly if you’re aiming for the luxury sector. While many businesses will aim to get their products stocked in as many retail locations as possible, the opposite is often true for luxury brands. Instead, you’ll want to focus on getting your goods stocked in select locations or even reducing production to limit availability.

5. Artisanship

As luxury products should be high quality, consumers will expect to see a certain level of artisanship or craftmanship in what they purchase. A luxury pasta company will sell agnolotti that’s been shaped by hand, for example, as opposed to penne that’s been mass produced on an automated production line.

Although artisan products generally take longer to produce, this justifies the higher price point and helps to ensure high quality controls are enforced. In addition, focusing on craftsmanship and creativity gives you the opportunity to create truly innovative products that bring something new to the food and drink industry.

Building a Luxury Food Brand

If you’re setting out to launch a luxury food brand, it’s essential that this is conveyed in every aspect of your brand. From your in-house training to your external marketing, every aspect of your business should reinforce the decadent or opulent nature of your brand. With this approach, you’ll ensure that your position as a luxury brand is strengthened by every decision you make.