"We are thrilled to be working with Beyers – it’s a fun brand and an exciting new direction for us," says Sylvia Schutte, managing director at Stratitude. "The team is looking forward to testing the products - for research purposes of course – but we’re just as motivated to bring the Beyers brand the recognition that it deserves," she states.

Beyers was founded in 1987 by Belgian-born master chocolatier Kees Beyers, who arrived and fell in love with the country. After noticing the lack of local, high-quality confectionary, he created Kees Beyers Chocolates and began producing 20kg of chocolate a week. Today this has increased to 35 tons a week.

The company has grown considerably in the past 28 years, creating on average 350 new products annually. According to Barbara Queally, Beyers business development manager, they wanted an agency that shared this innovative quality. "There were a number of different agencies that pitched, but it was Stratitude’s COPE [Create Once, Publish Everywhere] approach, that sealed the deal," she explains. Stratitude will manage our entire account which includes creative and branding, point of sale, PR, social media, web and advertising."

Schutte elaborates, "Strategy underpins all that we do. We are a full-service marketing agency and use all our client’s available marketing channels to reinforce their brand message, thereby creating maximum ROI and ultimately brand affinity. We are confident that we’ll have a hugely productive relationship with Beyers."

This proudly South African company has an extensive range of private label chocolates that are exported to the UK, US and Australia, and which they supply to airlines and the hospitality industry. Beyers Chocolates are also stocked by some of the country’s leading retailers – with the longest relationship being 21 years. This means that many South Africans have been eating Beyers without even realising it, says the founder.

"This is why we are now looking to drive the Beyers brand, and we believe that Stratitude can help us achieve this. We’ll be working closely to create unforgettable chocolate moments and make memorable brand experiences," concludes Queally.

For more information, visit the Stratitude website. Alternatively, connect with the agency on Facebook.