Agri-food commercial strategy: turning an industrial brand into a growth player

The opportunity

In the agri-food industry as elsewhere, producing is no longer enough: you also have to activate the right commercial levers to compete with established brands. Many companies with strong industrial assets struggle to convert their potential into actual market share.

This is exactly the challenge facing a Moroccan agri-food player active in the chocolate-spread and industrial ice-cream segments. Despite modern infrastructure, its visibility remains limited, held back by a distribution model centred on the traditional channel with only a handful of modern-trade listings.

In response, UCOTRA Consulting was asked to help the leadership team rethink its commercial strategy with a more structured approach: redefine positioning, broaden distribution channels, sharpen commercial agility and build a three-year roadmap.

The aim: turn commercial strategy into a performance catalyst by co-creating a shared response to the company’s growth challenges.

The solution

We structured the work in three complementary phases, designed in close collaboration with the company’s teams to secure ownership and execution.

Diagnostic and market analysis

This first step grounded the strategic thinking in the client’s operational reality. We carried out:

• An in-depth internal diagnostic (production capacity, logistics, digitalisation, process maturity) — close in spirit to an operational performance review.
• A commercial performance analysis (profitability, customer portfolio, distribution channels).
• A commercial organisation review (tools, structure, marketing practices).
• A sector benchmark and a market study (competition, consumption trends, emerging channels).

This phase clearly surfaced the growth levers available and the differentiation axes worth pursuing.

Defining a 3-year commercial strategy

Building on the diagnostic, the strategy was co-built around five pillars:

• Setting ambitious yet realistic commercial targets.
• Range positioning and the development of new offers.
• A pricing and loyalty policy aligned with market realities.
• Distribution channel diversification, including digital and structured B2B — where consumer goods and logistics meet.
• A targeted marketing strategy, aligned with the brand DNA and consumer expectations.

Organisation and deployment plan

Particular attention finally went to operationalisation:

• An agile commercial organisation was defined (roles, tools, methods).
• A national distribution network was planned.
• The sales force was resized and energised through effective campaigns.
• A deployment roadmap was built, including KPIs, a quarterly steering ritual and continuous adjustments.

This holistic approach laid the foundations of a new development cycle for the company — driven by a clear vision, concrete tools and collective momentum.

Key takeaways

• Producing is no longer enough in Moroccan agri-food: value is now created through channels, positioning and brand.
• A 360° diagnostic comes before any credible commercial strategy — internal, market and organisation.
• Channel diversification (modern trade, structured B2B, digital) has become the main growth lever.
• A 3-year roadmap with quarterly steering stops strategy from staying theoretical.

Working on a similar project in agri-food or another industrial sector? The UCOTRA Consulting team can support you from diagnostic to deployment.