S ince founding Appy Food & Drinks, we had actually never produced a professional corporate video so we felt it was time to share our story visually in a more personal way. Presentations have gone some way to spread our message for Healthier Generations, however a video would represent our passion and values more effectively, as well as portray the fun crazy side of Appy too!

Our Global Head of Marketing Irine took up the task of seeking a renowned video expert and found him in Johnny Ho – a freelance director and videographer who went on to not only direct but also shoot and edit our final videos. Johnny did a fantastic job of capturing our ideas and putting them onto film, ensuring that every aspect of our company was included – from footage of ingredients being handpicked on the farms, through to a glimpse into a typically hectic day at Appy HQ.

Lots of planning went into the making of the video; Bobby had written his part of the script, however, Irine was cheekily roped in last minute despite her best efforts to stay off camera and boss everyone around behind

the scenes! The footage was captured in Turkey over two voyages; the first to beautiful Antalya where Johnny filmed the production of our range of kids’ drinks, and the second to Izmir, a charming seaside town, where our organic fruits are grown.

The team travelling to Turkey consisted of Bobby, Irine, John, and Johnny – yes you read that correctly, which as you may imagine made things rather confusing! Antalya was Irine and videographer Johnny’s first introduction to Turkey, whilst Bobby, a regular to the country, took the rest under his wing alongside the factory owner Ali. A great host and enthusiastic tour guide, Ali made our team feel at home by showing them around Antalya and nearby city Kemer, as well as taking them to some of the best local restaurants in town – albeit of French, Greek, and Italian cuisine, and not the traditional Turkish dishes that foodie Irine was hoping to experience!

Irine’s favourite thing about Antalya was visiting a fantastic outdoor restaurant in a stunning setting above the water, while Bobby’s most memorable part of the journey is how hospitable and friendly both Ali and his team were.

THE MAKING OF OUR

CORPORATE VIDEO

Notably, Ali was the first person to help Bobby formulate Europe’s first stevia kids’ drink, so they both enjoyed seeing the products come to life in the factory; an idea born out of years of research and development, coming to fruition on the conveyer belt.

In contrast, Johnny and John’s most haunting memory was of Hatice, the adventurous export manager who ‘drove’ them in her car and made them fear for their lives! Rumour has it that John still has nightmares from that day.

The next part of the video takes us to Izmir, where Bobby, Irine, and (only one) Johnny got the chance to explore the city on their own. The crew walked everywhere despite the boiling 40°C heat, and the farmers kindly offered figs from the trees and refreshments to keep them going. They visited the fair trade farm where some of our organic ingredients are grown and saw firsthand how the fruits are handpicked and dried to produce our Mini Fruits range - without impressively a single machine! Johnny captured some terrific footage which he later cut to create our brand commercial video.

The farmers made the team feel at ease and welcomed them into their cosy Tea House where they drank hot tea in spite of the burning sun outside. They taught Bobby and Irine some simple Turkish words, and Irine had fun teaching them some Georgian words in return too.

Following a Q&A session with the farmers, Bobby was taken on a motorcycle trip and only brought back once he agreed to buy enough crops! The farmer’s wife also whisked Irine off on a ‘Thelma & Louise’ escapade on the farm bike - it was quite the adventure with wind blowing in her hair and all!

After all the fun of the farm, the team (perhaps slightly sun stroked!) got their flight times completely wrong, overslept, and missed their plane! Our heroes’ destiny was to therefore stay an extra night in a hotel that seemed to transport them back to the communist era; Irine (with her Eastern European roots) was not fazed, but Bobby and Johnny were, well let’s just say, slightly surprised by the unfamiliar surroundings and relieved to eventually make it home to tell their tale.

Overall, the video making process left many happy and funny memories for Bobby and Irine, from meeting a group of lovely people to trying some ‘interesting’ food. A huge thank you must go to Johnny who managed to adjust the colours for the last studio clips, so nobody is none the wiser about Bobby’s lip gloss mishap – well almost!