LONDON — RAK Honey, a premium honey brand from the United Arab Emirates, has appointed Sunny Side Up as its first retained UK PR and comms agency, as it launches into the UK market.

As with New Zealand’s manuka honey, which comes almost solely from the manuka plant, RAK Samar Honey is made exclusively from the nectar of samar trees growing in the Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah and has similar properties. The brand also supports local bees and beekeepers.

Sunny Side Up’s first job is to launch the brand in the UK through influencer marketing, social activity and digital advertising, alongside a press office covering consumer and trade media.

RAK Honey general manager Nicholas Bishop said: “We were really impressed with Sunny Side Up’s understanding of the brief and our audience, as well as their creative thinking and ability to integrate a range of platforms and channels to make the UK launch rollout of RAK Honey a success. We’re excited to both drive sales and build our brand.”

Sunny Side Up managing director Zoe Ward-Waring added: “RAK Honey is unique, with an incredible heritage and story, an intense taste and a brilliant opportunity. We understand the balance to be struck between immediate performance and longer-term awareness and education — we can’t wait to get going.”

The appointment adds to the B Corp agency’s growing international portfolio, including Driscoll’s, the world’s biggest berry company, premium US coffee brand Roasting Plant and UNESDA, which represents the European soft drinks industry, as well as other food and drink brands including recent win Charlie Bigham’s, Tea India, Cheesegeek.com, and wine brands Villa Maria and Ridgeview.