Market Strategy & Brand Development to Save Forests One Hive at a Time
Updated: Aug 3
Alam Santi was commissioned by Partnerships for Forests (P4F), a UK Government-funded programme supporting sustainable forest and land-use businesses across Indonesia, Latin America and West Africa, to lead market research and brand development for Origin Wild Forest Honey, on behalf of PT ABT, an Ecosystem Restoration Concession managing 38,665 hectares in Bukit Tigapuluh, Jambi, Sumatra.
The brief was commercial: assess market viability for a premium, conservation-linked honey product, then build the brand, packaging and go-to-market strategy to take it there. Alam Santi delivered this across a two-phase engagement spanning close to two years, starting with a ten-week market and consumer research phase, followed by full brand and packaging development.
The full methodology and findings are documented in Alam Santi's Origin Wild Forest Honey Market & Sales Strategy Research Report.
Scope of work
Phase one covered competitive analysis of 50 honey brands across domestic, imported and international markets, consumer and volume-buyer testing with over 200 consumers and 20 potential volume buyers, and packaging, labelling and export-readiness research, including EU market entry requirements. The research produced Expressions of Interest from resellers for over 11,000kg in anticipated annual sales before the product had even reached shelves, a strong early signal for a category with limited existing supply chains at this level of quality assurance.
Phase two translated that research into brand identity, packaging design and a marketing strategy built around the product's origin story: honey sustainably hand-harvested by Orang Rimba and Talang Mamak communities from Sialang Trees, tall rainforest hosts in the Dipterocarpaceae family that wild Apis dorsata bees favour for their hives.
Why the brand strategy mattered
Competitive analysis consistently showed that packaging, storytelling and credible sourcing claims, not price alone, drove purchase decisions in this category. That insight shaped the entire branding approach: positioning Origin Wild Forest Honey around verifiable sourcing and conservation impact, rather than competing purely on price against lower-cost synthetic alternatives.
PT ABT purchases the honey from harvesting communities well above standard market rates, a model the branding needed to communicate clearly to justify a premium retail position, both domestically and for export.
Outcome
The research and branding work gave PT ABT a validated go-to-market plan, evidence of real buyer demand, and a full brand identity built to support both retail and volume sales channels. It's a representative example of how Alam Santi approaches this kind of work: rigorous market research first, brand strategy grounded in what that research actually shows, rather than in assumptions.
If your organisation needs market research, brand strategy or product positioning for a conservation-linked or impact-driven product, contact us to discuss your project.