Noumi

Imagining a healthier tomorrow

There’s nothing like a fresh start to supercharge motivation for the future. That’s precisely what Freedom Foods Group needed when they came to Cowan off the heels of a turbulent time in their business, which included selling their eponymous brand. Our role was to construct a new brand strategy and identity – one that would honour their legacy, not erase it, while instilling unity and optimism among their people.

Building a purpose-led brand from the ground up

In establishing a future-proof new DNA, Cowan excavated core values with rigour – uncovering a business sitting at the intersection of heritage and innovation, with aspirations to become agents of change and forge a brighter future.

“Imagining a Healthier Tomorrow”, the new brand purpose, upended the status quo in an industry fixated on tradition – while simultaneously serving as an energising internal catch-cry for key communities.

Turning over a new leaf

The name, Noumi, signifies the dawn of this bright new era. A word that brought together the core brand pillars of nourishment, innovation and collaboration through the idea of ‘nourish me’. It embodied a purpose-driven brand with a fresh perspective.

The new visual identity started with a central graphic brand mark – signalling future growth, with foliage that symbolised the brand’s two arms. Design systems were bolstered in flexibility, with photography that radiated warmth and energy – reflecting the brand’s fundamental values. Every facet of the identity was grounded in Noumi’s purpose, speaking to positive nutrition – and nourishing people and the planet.

In-Depth Case Study

How to win trust via Brand Identity in new categories

Brand identity and packaging design are central to how nutritional food companies build long-term trust. Noumi, previously known as Freedom Foods, came to Cowan at a time when its parent company identity no longer reflected its ambitions. The business had been through turbulence, including the sale of the Freedom Foods brand, and was looking for a way to start afresh without abandoning its legacy.

The ask was clear: create a new parent brand identity and packaging design system that could unify a diverse portfolio of products spanning dairy, plant-based milk alternatives, performance nutrition, and family staples. The new identity had to reassure investors and consumers, while inspiring internal teams with a vision for the future. Noumi wanted a name and design that stood for Positive Nutrition, innovation, and sustainability — one that would act as a positive halo across its much-loved brands, including MILKLAB, Australia’s Own, Vital Strength, PUREnFERRIN, Crankt, UProtein, So Natural, and Vitalife.

This was not simply a rebrand. It was a complete re-imagining of how a parent company in the nutritional food sector could present itself in a modern, consumer-driven, and trust-demanding market.

Challenges in rebranding a nutritional beverage company

Rebranding a parent company in nutritional beverage category presents a unique challenge: the parent identity must serve many audiences at once. For Noumi, the challenges were significant:

Heritage vs. Fresh Start: The company wanted to leave behind the turbulence of the past but not erase the positive legacy of Freedom Foods
Trust in Packaging Design: Consumers increasingly demand transparency though information communicated in packaging design such as clear nutrition labels, and reassurance that their food choices align with personal values such as health and sustainability
Consistency Across Brands: The new parent identity had to feel relevant for high-growth plant-based categories like MILKLAB, while also strengthening trust in legacy dairy and nutritional food products
Global Signals of Quality: Packaging design and brand identity had to work not only in Australia but across international markets where plant-based dairy alternatives are growing rapidly

At its core, Noumi’s challenge was not only visual but strategic: how do you design a parent brand that projects optimism, builds consumer trust, and empowers a portfolio of very different sub-brands?

How to win through Packaging Design that solves problems

At Cowan, our creative process for brand identity and packaging design begins with uncovering the DNA of the business. With Noumi, we conducted rigorous workshops to excavate values, aspirations, and the cultural drivers shaping the company.

From this, a new brand purpose was created: “Imagining a Healthier Tomorrow.” This purpose upended the industry’s status quo, which often leans heavily on tradition, and instead projected optimism and innovation.

The new parent brand name Noumi was chosen for its simplicity, universality, and layered meaning:
Derived from “nourish me”, it conveys personal care, nourishment, and wellbeing
Phonetically fresh, it signals innovation and a new era for the company
Symbolically, it unites the pillars of nourishment, innovation, and collaboration
The packaging design system extended these values visually. Noumi’s identity was expressed through:
Clean typography signalling modernity and professionalism
Nature-inspired palettes linking nutritional food to health and sustainability
Sustainable packaging cues, reinforcing eco-responsibility
Flexible grids, ensuring consistency across sub-brands while respecting their equities

Category growth: The rise of plant-based dairy alternatives

Plant-based dairy alternatives are growing faster than ever, and this growth reshapes how companies approach brand identity and packaging design in nutritional food. Consumer demand for dairy-free milks, yogurts, cheeses, and other substitutes is increasing globally, driven by health, sustainability, and ethical concerns.

The global plant-based milk market was about USD 19.42 billion in 2023, and is forecast to reach USD 32.35 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of ~7.6% (Grand View Research). The global plant milk market is projected to hit USD 41 billion by 2034, growing at ~6.6% CAGR (GMI Insights).

In Australia, the category is expanding at an even faster clip:

The dairy alternatives market is valued at USD 0.67 billion in 2025, expected to grow to USD 1.02 billion by 2030 with ~8.75% CAGR (Mordor Intelligence)
By 2034, the Australian market could double to nearly AUD 1.94 billion, growing at ~8% annually (Expert Market Research)
Trends driving growth and shaping packaging design and brand identity:
Innovation and fortification: Plant milks are increasingly fortified with calcium, B12, and vitamin D to close the nutritional gap with dairy (GMI Insights)
Taste and experience: Packaging design must signal improved flavour, creaminess, and barista quality
Sustainability: Consumers expect eco-friendly packaging and clear communication about environmental benefits (IMARC Group)
Mainstream availability: As dairy alternatives hit cafes, supermarkets, and convenience stores, brand identity and packaging design become critical to stand out (Grand View Research)
This rapid growth reinforced why Noumi needed a parent brand identity that projected leadership, trust, and innovation in nutritional food and dairy alternatives

Shopper Insights: Parent brand trust in Packaging Design

Shopper insights told us one thing with clarity: parent brand trust matters in nutritional food categories.

Consumers are cautious when it comes to products they ingest daily. In plant-based and dairy alternative segments especially, shoppers are more discerning — they want to know who is behind the product, how it was made, and what values underpin the company. Packaging design becomes a visible proxy for trust.

Nutrition transparency: Over 90% of parents actively check nutritional labels when purchasing food for their families (Parents & Brands). This means packaging design must make nutritional benefits obvious, uncluttered, and credible.
Sustainability cues: Research confirms consumers look for packaging that signals sustainability — through recycled materials, certifications, and visual design that feels authentic (Metaform Design)
Clarity of brand ownership: In emerging categories like plant-based dairy, the reassurance of a credible parent brand drives purchase. Consumers want to know: Who is behind this product, and can I trust them?

Packaging design, therefore, is more than a wrapper. It is an essential interface between brand identity and consumer trust.

Why a parent Brand Identity builds trust in emerging categories

The role of a parent brand in emerging nutritional food categories cannot be overstated. Academic research supports this. Ulun Akturan & Tülay Yeniçeri, in their study on brand extensions in emerging markets, found that parent brand image is the single most important predictor of consumer acceptance (ResearchGate).

For nutritional food, plant-based, and dairy alternative categories:

Trust reduces risk: Consumers are willing to try new products under a parent brand they already associate with credibility and quality
Category fit matters: If a parent brand launches in a category aligned with its values — such as Noumi shifting from traditional dairy into plant-based milk — consumers embrace it more readily
Brand identity continuity: When packaging design clearly connects back to parent brand values, shoppers feel reassured that the product is backed by expertise and reliability

In short, a strong parent brand identity is not a nice-to-have but a strategic necessity in emerging nutritional categories. It gives shape, reassurance, and legitimacy to innovation.

Designing the Brand Identity & packaging solution for Noumi

From this, a new brand purpose was created: “Imagining a Healthier Tomorrow.” This purpose upended the industry’s status quo, which often leans heavily on tradition, and instead projected optimism and innovation.

The new parent brand name Noumi was chosen for its simplicity, universality, and layered meaning:

Derived from “nourish me”, it conveys personal care, nourishment, and well-being
Phonetically fresh, it signals innovation and a new era for the company
Symbolically, it unites the pillars of nourishment, innovation, and collaboration

The packaging design system extended these values visually. Noumi’s identity was expressed through:

Clean typography that signalled modernity and professionalism
Nature-inspired palettes that linked nutritional food to health and sustainability
Sustainable packaging cues, reflecting the company’s ambition to lead in eco-responsibility
Flexible design grids, enabling consistency across sub-brands while respecting their individual equities

This was brand identity and packaging design used not only as communication but as transformation.

Brand Identity that signals purpose

The Noumi rebrand demonstrates that packaging design and brand identity in nutritional food can transform a business at a pivotal moment. By aligning purpose, name, and design with consumer trust and future-focused values, Cowan helped Noumi emerge as a parent brand ready to lead in plant-based, dairy alternatives, and nutritional food categories.

The result is a company identity that does not erase its past but embraces a healthier, brighter tomorrow — where trust, innovation, and design move hand in hand.