GF Chilled reached a point of transition. Having recently become a limited company, the business was moving from a long-established family operation into a more formally structured organisation with clear ambitions for growth. The reputation, relationships, and ethics behind the business were already strong, built over decades of service and trust.
What was missing was a clear and consistent identity to reflect that reality. Visually, the brand lacked the authority and clarity needed to support where the business was heading. In a trust-led industry, this disconnect risked weakening hard-earned credibility, making it essential that any change respected the family roots, reputation and straightforward way GF Chilled had always operated.
The identity needed to express what GF Chilled stands for in practice. Fresh food, sourced from trusted producers and local artisans across the island of Irealnd. A service that is ready to support new and growing food brands, from independent producers to established names, helping bring quality, nutritious products to market. And a business built on showing up consistently, putting in the miles and doing the work required to serve customers properly.
Fresh. Ready. Reliable. became a simple articulation of that reality. It reflects decades of service, long-standing relationships and a hands-on approach to distribution, whether that means early starts, long journeys, or ensuring every store is serviced to the highest standard. The brand needed to feel familiar and credible to those who know the business well, while clearly signalling confidence, capability, and momentum to new customers.
The visual identity was developed as a flexible system rather than a single mark. A strong ‘GF’ brand mark sits alongside both horizontal and vertical lock-ups, with Fresh. Ready. Reliable. used as a circular typographic device to introduce movement and a contemporary edge across uniforms, vehicles, and applications. A considered colour palette and clean, established typography allow the brand to adapt across different contexts, from trusted business relationships to food distribution, giving GF Chilled a confident, future-ready platform for consistent growth.
HIGHTN’s role was to provide brand strategy, creative direction, and long-term thinking, working in close partnership with the business owner, Gavin. Experience informed decisions around positioning, scale, and tone, ensuring the identity felt appropriate for a distributor rather than a product brand, and confident enough to grow without losing authenticity or credibility as the business evolves. Throughout the process, the focus was on making considered decisions that would stand up in the real world, not just in our presentation.
