Kitco Jordan: Health as Value, Trust as Currency — Building a Resilient Snack Brand

Kitco Jordan was established in 2021 under Tazyeed Al-Khair for Food Industries, a subsidiary of Kuwait-based Mezzan Holding, with the mission “to make healthy snacking accessible, affordable, and culturally relevant for every Jordanian household.”

The challenge

Jordan’s snacking market was dominated by imported, high-fat, high-salt products priced high by shipping, duties and distribution costs and misaligned with local taste. Healthy alternatives were largely missing or unaffordable, retailers hesitated to give them shelf space, and competition ran on price promotions rather than innovation or nutrition.

The strategy

Kitco applied a customer-driven, Digital Transformative Marketing model: decisions based on research in Jordan and Kuwait – digital research tools, social media surveys, point-of-sale data, in-store observation and tasting sessions – which showed that consumers want healthy snacks only with familiar taste, local flavours and affordable prices.

The solution

It built a health-led portfolio (baked chips, low-calorie, gluten-free and preservative-free products and the light “Kitco Nice” range), priced it inclusively with multiple pack sizes, supported retailers with above-market margins, merchandising, field visits and ready-to-use digital content, used its digital channels for health education, and relied on a local supply chain.

The outcome

Adoption was strongest among families, young people and health-conscious consumers. Kitco became associated with health, local relevance and fair pricing, retail partners gained higher margins and faster turnover, and competition in the category shifted from price towards value – summed up in the case as “health is the new value, trust is the currency, and insight is the strategy.”