RUSTIKAO HAND CRAFTED CHOCOLATE STRATEGY/ NAMING / BRAND IDENTITY / PACKAGING 2018
MY ROLE
Research
Research
Brand discovery workshop Co-facilitator
Naming
Creative & Art Direction
Packaging design
Graphic design
Brand guidelines
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CREDITS
Client: Unión de Cooperativa UCA-Soppexcca, con el apoyo financiero del Proyecto de Cacao,
del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID), through the FOMIN, executed by Christian Aid.
Agency: SANCHEZCAMPBELL - Exijo S.A.
Project Director: Gabriel Sánchez Campbell
del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID), through the FOMIN, executed by Christian Aid.
Agency: SANCHEZCAMPBELL - Exijo S.A.
Project Director: Gabriel Sánchez Campbell
Designer: Ana Ramos.
Art direction, lead designer: Dainin Solis
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Crafting a new brand to support young chocolatiers in rural Nicaragua.
MADE IN FAMILY, MADE IN COMMUNITY
In the remote, mountainous, and fertile lands of Jinotega in northern Nicaragua, hundreds of micro and small producers seek to reduce their economic dependence on coffee by cultivating cacao. Their children transform the best beans into artisan chocolate. The final result has deep-noted flavors, rustic features, and a lot of character.
The Rustikao Chocolate Factory was born to complement the Proyecto de Diversificación con Cacao (check the brand project) promoted by the Soppexca cooperative. It allows children of the producers to integrate into the economy of their community by starting a local business: from harvest and processing to packaging and sales of products.
Initially known as Chocolatería Quetzalcoatl, the brand had not achieved relevant recognition despite being in the market for several years. Partly because of its difficult-to-pronounce name, hard-to-open packaging, unappealing design, and lack of communication of their social impact and story.
Diversifying into cocoa production makes this traditional coffee-growing region more resilient to climate change.
CHALLENGE
They needed to improve the perceived value of the product to help increase sales and re-launch themselves as a new offering in the local artisan chocolate market.
OUTCOME
Working closely with the chocolate factory team, we formulated a strategy and defined the foundation for a new brand. We created a name that was easier to pronounce and designed not only a logo but an entirely new brand visual language and packaging design system that adequately reflects the artisanal and natural character of the product, improving its
perceived value.
perceived value.
Move the interactive slider to compare the before and after of the Rustikao chocolate bar.
Developing the strategy
During the discovery stage, we visited the cacao plantations and the chocolate factory to learn first-hand about the history, the processes, and the people behind the product
We facilitated a brand discovery workshop with the young chocolatiers and the Soppexcca management team to get a clear understanding of the core of the business, its challenges, and opportunities
We helped them identify and analyze their target audience, understand their needs, and build profiles for them. Finally, together, we defined the objectives, priorities, and central actions of the brand.
Later we audited the management and brand identity to date and visited the stores of the main competitors to get an impression of the shopping experience. Finally, we investigated and analyzed their online communication and behavior.
A name of origin
Although the former name "Quetzalcoatl" was related to the history of cocoa, it was hard to pronounce, complicated to write, and as a result, difficult to remember.
We created a new name: Rustikao. It is simple and different, and most importantly, it would help the brand to communicate its rural origin while making a direct reference to the natural and handmade qualities of the product.
A brand with artisanal appeal
The main goal of the brand renewal was to improve the perceived value of the product by having the visual identity adequately convey the brand attributes. We were looking to achieve a sweet balance between an artisan appeal with a modern hint.
We provided the brand with a robust visual language that goes beyond the logo, creating a scalable system with several graphic resources, sprinkling flavor, and personality to the brand.
The identity system ranges from a selection of assets and materials with natural finishes, such as kraft paper, a typography pallet with rustic characteristics, the use of worn and irregular details, and an enriched color palette.
We also designed auxiliary graphics such as stamps, alternative logos, and two custom patterns to be dynamically and flexibly implemented on the packaging, stationery, and other touchpoints.
A big shout out to Ana Ramos for the help with the pattern design.
An optimized packaging
Every chocolate bar is signed on the back part of the packaging by the young chocolatier who crafted the batch, giving the package an extra level of personalization and a human and individual touch.
To help reduce printing production costs, we designed a master packaging type for each product size (120 and 55 g) and implemented a color system to identify each of the different flavors.
Melting it all together
We re-defined the entire brand language for Rustikao by designing a complete product range: packaging for every size and presentation, labels for five different flavors, a bag for other three cacao derivatives products, uniforms, a custom display stand, and trade show materials.
Finally, we developed guidelines to help the brand stay cohesive and consistent - key factors to start building brand recognition among their audience.
Award-winning chocolate
Since its launch, Chocolate Rustikao has received positive feedback from both the client, the customers, and also the design community, being selected to participate in the Bienal Iberoamericana de Diseño 2020.
The product has been accolade with two bronze awards at the International Chocolate Awards for its dark and orange flavor. It also has participated with excellent acceptance in different international fairs in Europe, including the International Chocoa 2018 fair in Amsterdam.
Thanks to the awards, Jinotega was placed on the map of chocolate making. Rustikao proudly represents his community on the international stage.
