Caribou Coffee Packaging Redesign

Caribou Coffee has been a Midwest favorite since 1992, inspiring coffee drinkers to embrace life and stay awake for it. As a coffeehouse brand second only in size to Starbucks, Caribou has continued to grow beyond the Upper Midwest. In doing so, it saw the need to evolve its signature packaging to become more universally approachable, get credit as a leader in premium and specialty coffee, and appeal to younger coffee drinkers.

Kamora crafts this rich coffee liqueur to honor ancient Mayan tradition. Made with authentic Mexican coffee, the product had a loyal following, but lacked energy and a strong presence on shelf. We were tasked with invigorating the brand to challenge category convention and reposition it with younger consumers. We responded by creating a new, high-energy expression designed to compete with its main competitor, Kahlúa.

Gold Bond has been innovating skincare since 1908. With origins in medicated powders, the brand developed a reputation as utilitarian, masculine, and a bit outdated. Over generations, Gold Bond grew, adding more and more products to serve a range of audiences and conditions.

In serving so many segments, sub brands and products, the packaging architecture became complex and fragmented. This large array of products, although innovative, became subordinate to many fast-growing, upstart competitors. With innovative competition challenging Gold Bond’s leadership, management adopted a strategy to elevate its proposition to a high performance brand, opting to unify its portfolio under a single identity, establishing a consistent look and architecture at point of sale. With “Champion Your Skin®” as the articulation of the new positioning, we created a single identity, expression and system to accommodate well-over 100 SKUs.

Leroux is a storied brand with more than a century of history. Crafted to celebrate extraordinary flavor, Leroux offers a wide variety of products making it a perfect accompaniment to every occasion and adventure. Sipped, shot or savored, it’s a great way to celebrate all that life offers. Over the years, the brand became fragmented, losing its presence and credibility on shelf. Our charge was to strengthen Leroux’s brand expression and reputation for innovative products.

With a rich history spanning more than 100 years, five generations and hundreds of SKUS, the Phillips flagship brand presides over a broad range of innovative spirits. This redesign gives the brand portfolio a fresh look while retaining the likeability the brand enjoys as a “Midwest favorite.”

Revel Stoke offers a wide range of flavored whiskies, providing an alternative to the connoisseurship and snobbery of the whisky category. While its spiced and flavored whiskies had experienced some success in the past, the flavor-focused brand did not provide the energy and personality needed to meaningfully connect with the right consumers.

The new expression shifts focus from flavor to bold energy, inviting adventurous drinkers to explore social risk and live life on their own terms. Fueled by an unapologetic personality, Revel Stoke is a call to celebrate good times, with whiskies that let you run wild and drink free.

A brand with roots in the North, Caribou Coffee has been “Fueling Adventure Since 1992”, so it only made sense that the brief to redesign the brand’s signature packaging looked to its heritage for inspiration. Creating a “sense of place” not only offered a truer connection to its provenance but also created a proprietary expression to unify the brand’s portfolio. An illustrative interpretation of the North leans heavily on Caribou’s distinctive blue color. The result is a strongly-branded expression that’s premium, with a playful personality.

Stunning river bluffs, sparkling Lake Pepin views and surrounding natural beauty give name to this unique Wisconsin destination. Inspired by centuries old villas of Southern Europe Villa Bellezza is home to a winery, tasting room, restaurant and more, surrounding a piazza created to enjoy good food, award-winning wine and a little bit of “la dolce vita.”

Visitors to the winery range from wine aficionados to casual wine drinkers, couples to groups, all who come to enjoy genuine hospitality and award-winning wines. Cue was tasked with creating a unique labeling system to accommodate a portfolio of more than 30 wines across three tiers, each embodying the beauty of the wine and destination. The solution unifies a wide spectrum of wines and makes each bottle a lovely reminder of the destination’s experience.

When watchmaker R.D. Hull created a better fishing reel back in 1949, his patented discovery reinvented fishing, making it easier than ever before to explore the outdoors. Today, fishing’s popularity has been challenged by an outdoor category offering an almost unlimited array of activities. Zebco not only needed a way to reposition itself in the category, but also to be more visible, identifiable and competitive with other contemporary outdoor brands.

Caribou Coffee is bringing beverage innovation forward with a variety of ready-to-drink products packaged in in sleek, 11.5 Oz. cans. We designed them with an iconic, identifiable look and cues appropriate for each product.

Caribou’s popular, crafted cold brew products launched first, including Cold Brew Black Coffee, Original Crafted and Vanilla Crafted beverages.