Jul23121 MEA | UAE Business Awards 2025 17 Feb25321 Best Growth Innovative Agency 2025 – MEA & Most Influential Female Food & Beverage Marketing CEO 2025: Seda Solmaz Dubai is home to Idea Atelier, a boutique innovation consulting firm specializing in the Food and Beverage industry. With this agency as a partner, manufacturers in this space are empowered to create ideas that are bigger, bolder and revolutionary in the market. From small start-ups to established FMCG giants, Idea Atelier works with an array of clients to drive co-creation of new ideas to accelerate their development journeys while adding measurable value to their business. We had the pleasure of catching up with Founder & CEO Seda Solmaz – who has also been recognized with her own award – to learn more about this results-driven consultancy. ecause people – not products – are at the heart of innovation, Idea Atelier’s key strengths in the F&B marketing landscape lie in its signature co-creation workshops. These sessions see the team here, led by Seda Solmaz, bring fresh perspectives to the table. Bolstering these insights is expertise to the tune of more than two decades, with this spanning every avenue of the multifaceted F&B industry to offer clients a distinct competitive advantage. More than 200 of these workshops have been delivered to date, each unique in their own way. Leveraging more than 70 brand partnerships across 18 markets, the impact Idea Atelier has in this space is immediately clear. Much of this can be attributed to the network of on-demand experts it has at its disposal, a group comprising the likes of nutritionists and food scientists as well as technical and industry experts. In addition to these individuals, the firm also boasts untapped access to pilot plants and co-manufacturers to streamline prototyping, not to mention the benefits that stem from its GCC-based distribution partners. “Our service suite also includes strategic consulting. Working personally with clients, I help assess competitive landscapes and identify white spaces for innovation, crafting bespoke strategies that position our clients to lead and disrupt F&B categories.” Regardless of whether it is consulting or orchestrating one of its collaborative workshops, Idea Atelier’s approach is much the same. As Seda explained: “Would you believe it if I said 50% of the project’s success depends on getting the client’s objective right? This is the most critical aspect, and many people underestimate it.” Keen not to suffer the same fate, the team begin with a half-day session where they meet with a client’s decision makers, seeking answers to all the right questions and unpacking what keeps them up at night. Focusing on the why in a relaxed environment where clients feel at ease and willing to share, nobody does innovation quite like Idea Atelier. Innovating with purpose and redefining what progress means in the MEA F&B sphere, it is the aim of the firm to transcend barriers and inspire the next generation of leaders to think outside the box. “We are making innovation fun and meaningful”, Seda told us, “bringing joy and purpose back into the creative process.” “We are ready to tackle any challenge that comes our way, because we have an insatiable curiosity for consumer behaviour and emerging trends.” The UAE, in particular Dubai, is the perfect place for Seda and co. to realize this vision, this as a result of their strong connections to the country (it has been Seda’s home now for more than a decade) and the commitment of the region to helping organizations launch new ideas and scale them globally. From the government itself to the ecosystem of empowerment that has arisen as a result, Seda described her team as being, “surrounded by forward thinkers who want to change the F&B world for the better.” Ultimately, when it comes to this beacon of food and beverage innovation in Dubai, the best way to understand its excellence is to hear from the clients themselves. One of the many great testimonials Idea Atelier has received over the years comes from the Head of Marketing at the regional branch of Unilever, Didem Molay Sevin. She said: “Thanks to Idea Atelier, we now have a robust innovation funnel ready for the next few years. Their expertise, know-how, and co-creation approach were instrumental in achieving this outcome.” In closing, another testimonial, this from a local homegrown scale up Marketing Manager, Lara Baaklini from House of Pops, highlights what is so special about the woman behind the innovation workshops at Idea Atelier – Seda Solmaz. “Seda is one of those rare gems you find in the F&B industry. You leave her workshops with a sense of direction and the belief that your I&R pipeline is actionable.” It is this, the unlocking of the next level, which has led to this duo of well-deserved awards. Contact: Seda Solmaz Company: Idea Atelier Web Address: https://ideaatelierdubai.com/ B Idea Atelier
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