The challenge

A shelf staple with soul and no way to show it.

BELA was family- and veteran-owned, beloved by longtime retail partners, and rooted in sustainable sourcing through its 30-year partnership with Portuguese canneries. But it had no formal brand strategy, no digital presence, no DTC infrastructure, and a visual identity that hadn't been touched since the '90s. The brand was increasingly at risk of losing relevance in a buzzy, digital-first, design-driven category.

I was brought on as Fractional Head of Brand & Brand Marketing Director to lead a full rebrand and go-to-market transformation, guiding both strategy and execution across every touchpoint.

The insight

BELA didn't need reinvention. It needed rediscovery.

While younger brands leaned into hype, BELA's edge was its authenticity: real sourcing, real relationships, and fish-first flavor that didn't need a trendy sauce to make it palatable. Our opportunity was to make that truth visible, ownable, and memorable — to give BELA the brand presence it had always earned, but never expressed.

Phase 1

Rebrand & identity refresh

• Developed BELA's first formal brand strategy — positioning, audience segmentation, messaging pillars, and tone of voice
• Created new brand platforms: Fish Means Family and Everyone's Welcome to the Table
• Directed the brand's first-ever full visual identity overhaul, hiring Vicious Studios to create new logo, typography, color system, and packaging redesign across 8 new SKUs
• Wrote all website copy and collaborated on Shopify UX and content structure
• Produced and creative directed multiple editorial-style photoshoots for web, social, Amazon, and PR
• Concepted and launched an initial line of branded merchandise to extend brand storytelling and amplify the launch
• Oversaw development of BELA's first Amazon storefront and DTC launch preparation
• Crafted brand messaging and visual systems to reopen doors with retail buyers, who responded with renewed interest post-launch

Phase 2

Marketing execution & growth systems

• Took over BELA's organic social channels, rebuilding visual cohesion, brand voice, and publishing cadence
• Managed BELA's UGC pipeline with creators aligned to the brand's new ethos
• Launched BELA's TikTok channel and grew a values-aligned community from scratch
• Wrote and published branded email newsletters and blog posts to support SEO and deepen storytelling
• Oversaw performance marketing and PR, partnering with external teams while directing content and messaging strategy
• Designed branded influencer seeding kits and launched product seeding programs
• Hired and managed a hybrid team: creative director, web developer, social support, PR and performance leads
• Built a custom marketing performance dashboard in Looker Studio pulling from GA4, Shopify, and Meta
• Created internal systems for content planning, approvals, and reporting to increase brand consistency

The results

Traction, coverage, and a brand that finally looks the part.