Lani Kingston

I’ve worked as a Marketing Director at a multinational tea company, built marketing strategies for a wide range of food businesses, supported founders with their social media strategy and implementation, and created a large quantity of content marketing across video, written, and photographic for brands as wide-ranging as Unilever Food Solutions, Lipton Tea, and Prana Chai.

My Director-level experience in the food industry spanning operations, business development, brand identity, sales, combined with a media and marketing background positions me perfectly to develop and implement targeted marketing strategies for all types of food brands.

I’ve worked with all social platforms, Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn Ads, and design tools such as Canva and Figma. I studied media production at College and am experienced in Photoshop and Final Cut Pro.

I have authored four best-selling books that are now available in 13 languages, all in the categories of food spanning history, culture, and recipes. I have collaborated with chefs and baristas to design recipes and publish them in an accessible format, and love to help food business visionaries tell their stories.

Having helped set up and run the European factory, store, cafe, and wholesale operations of Brooklyn craft chocolate makers, Mast Brothers Chocolate; built out London’s first bean-to-bar intensive, professional-level education program; set up a chocolate factory in Singapore for the founder of TWG Tea; wrote a book about the science of coffee, now translated into 6 languages and 9 editions; consulted for international green coffee traders – I have experience and knowledge across the breadth of these two very specialist industries.

I’ve worked with food business owners and visionaries for over 15 years, helping them to build or grow their food businesses, reach new markets, and develop new products and concepts.

I’ve developed or collaborated on roasted coffee products, chocolate bars, food packaging, custom-designed coffee mugs, pastry menus, cafes, coffee brands, hotel coffee experiences, recipe development, wholesale systems, e-commerce platforms, subscription services, CRM software set-up, management and hiring consulting, training program development, customer experience, and much more.

As a project manager, I have worked with clients to develop concept and design user experience for both brand identity and website design. Alongside my team at Four Seasons of Food, we have executed from concept to delivery brand identity and website packages to clients across the food, beverage, and wellness industries.

Further to my work consulting with brands, I built an ‘inspiration guide’ filled with photos of the most stunning food and coffee brands I had come across during my travels around the world. This inspiration guide, alongside my consulting advice, formed the basis of my latest book, Designing Coffee, which showcases leading cafe and coffee brand design globally.

I’ve helped build out two bean-to-bar chocolate factories, coffee shops, retail stores, and fulfillment facilities for wholesale and e-commerce FMCG. I’ve set up operational policies for brand new stores, manufacturing facilities, and cafes, from hiring, training, and manuals, to accounting systems and marketing strategies.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Media, a Master’s Degree in Food Studies, and another Master’s Degree in Education, I’m perfectly positioned to create industry-knowledgeable content across both the written and visual realms. I’ve created videos for Unilever Food Solutions and Lipton Tea, written brand and marketing copy for small to large food and beverage brands, put together social media packages, and more. My travel photography has been published online and in books, and I have authored four books covering recipes, food culture and history.