Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/804825
new business partner, Deejay Newell, and an expansion plan that included a roastery and café, pushed the decision to rebrand. "We felt it was time to come up with a name and brand that felt more in line with who we'd become," she says. Natalie and Deejay wanted the company's new name to refl ect the desire to have a qual- ity coffee experience wherever their adven- ture took them. "Treeline Coffee Roasters" spoke to them on so many levels. Not only was the name relatable to the demographics of its customers, but it also touched on the desire to explore and seek adventure. With the help of artist friends Jasmine Lily and Stacy Townsend, the design for Treeline was conceived and woven into the previous brand's look and feel. Simultaneously, Treeline launched a new product, the GEO, a ready-to- brew, single-serve pourover coffee to go. Treeline began packing GEOs on demand, with high-quality, hand-picked, carefully sourced seasonal coffees. To say the least, the product was an instant hit with Bozeman's community of outdoor enthusiasts. Equally important, the GEO aligned with Treeline's mission to provide people with a rich coffee experience wherever they were: in the back- country, at the offi ce, or on the go. As Treeline's experience shows, a success- ful rebrand is part design and part delivery. How you communicate with your customers and community matters. In order to make the transition a smooth one for consumers, Na- talie and Deejay chose to keep some design elements from their former brand, including similar packaging and the graphic of a wagon. Throughout the rebrand process, they made sure to stick close to their core identity, goals, and beliefs, as a company and as individuals. They carefully timed the rebrand with the opening of their new roasting facility and coffee bar. "This gave us a concrete timeline and an exciting new venue to share with our community," says Natalie. "We had a great platform to engage in conversation with our community. I'm not sure the rebrand could have been more well-received." The business partners have noticed an increase in their customer base, both in retail and wholesale, since launching the rebrand. Additionally, timing the rebrand with the debut of a fl agship location and roastery that embodies the Treeline persona has given members of the community an opportunity to approach Natalie and Deejay with new and exciting future projects. Often, as a business evolves, the decision to rebrand affords owners the opportunity to communicate how their business has matured. When Julia and Todd May- or opened The French Press in 2009 in downtown Santa Barbara, Calif., they were a young couple flying toward a dream, funded by a family loan and endless hours of volunteer help from their friends and colleagues at Verve Coffee Roasters. It was the kind of dream most young baristas only hope to realize. "The last thing we did in the 20 days of preparing to open the shop was name it," says Julia. "We fi nally decided on The French Press. It was 2009 and we French-pressed all our coffees at the time. We opened and never looked back. Honestly, we were kids, totally in love with coffee and the service industry, just making it work." Three years later, Julia and Todd began to evaluate the success of their bursting-at-the-seams retail location, and realized they would need to expand in order to accommodate their rapid growth. "The French Press is our origin story, our beginning that made everything since then possible. It was built on optimism from the ground up," Julia says. Taking the advice of trusted colleagues at Verve, the couple embarked on a massive ex- pansion, which included a roasting operation, a second retail location, and the addition of a bakery arm to the business. At the time, Julia and Todd, who had toyed with the idea of changing their last names to Castle when they married, instead named the new roast- ery operation, Castle Coffee Roasters. As the roasting operation grew however, the Mayors ran into some barriers with the name Castle and felt it might actually limit the future growth. "We had been changed by our environment and by our industry's evolution," says Julia. Thus with a rapidly expanding wholesale program and the opening of their third retail location, once again the Mayors reevaluated their brand and identity. Castle Coffee Roast- ers had carried the success of their business during several years of growth. Under its fl ag the Mayors took their fi rst origin trips, met coffee producers, built strong relationships within the industry, and grew the business. However, they needed a new locomotive to pull their business forward. Inspired by their dreamy location, nestled between the mountains and the ocean, they came upon the name Dune Coffee Roasters. "We can go from the top of a mountain to the islands off our coast before lunch," says Julia. "In a nutshell, a dune is molded by its envi- ronment, just like us." For Julia and Todd, their new name embodies the desert air, coastal sands, and Pacifi c waters that create their beautiful natural landscape, as well as their own evolution. Moving forward, the Mayors anticipate their retail locations, which still carry the name The French Press, will share the name Dune Coffee Roasters. For now, because of the depth of brand identity tied to the French Press legacy, they are taking it one step at a time. That's a maturity Julia explains they've grown to understand. "We are no longer a bunch of kids making it work," she says. "We have evolved to be a major force in our home- town and beyond." CONSIDERING A REBRAND? HERE ARE SOME TIPS FROM THE PROS: "Take the time to analyze your company. Ask yourself, 'What are your core values?' Try to identify the 'personality' of your business. If you're a retailer or roaster, how do others de- scribe your locations and products? If you're an independent contractor, how do folks de- scribe you, your methods, and the value you add to their business? Don't rush this. Spend the money on a reputable design fi rm that has experience working with boutique retail or restaurant design." Nathan Quillo, founder and owner of Quills Coffee "Take your time! So much goes into rebrand- ing. It's in every part of your business. We spent the better part of a year getting ready: building the new website, planning the launch, registering the name with endless government agencies and platforms. Also, when thinking about a rebrand, consider all of the great opportunities that come with it. It should be exciting to reach the core of who you are and fi nd a way to communicate that with consumers." Natalie Van Dusen, founder and owner of Treeline Coffee Roasters "Do your homework. Ask a ton of ques- tions. Find a mentor. Pay for a lawyer. Have fun! I learned that not being afraid to not know the answer is the best way to find the answer. Collaborate with your peers. Don't be afraid but don't be reck- less. Trademark law is really important, and we spent a lot of time and energy fixing our mistakes." Julia Mayor, cofounder and owner of Dune Coffee Roasters 120 barista magazine