Just home from a month in Mississippi. Things are getting crazy down there, with covid 19 Delta version running rampant among the young, poor and obese. People dying like flies, yet still people rather pray than vaccinate themselves. It says a lot about a state that is the poorest in the US.
Did some local outdoor tourism, since going out to cafés and restaurants seemed rather unsafe at the moment, with risk group in our family, and also no travel insurance and no hospital beds available in the closest 49 hospitals (!).
First place we did visit though, was the Southern Prohibition Brewery, a stunning place with a biergarten in a very Southern style. Every time I’m in Mississippi, the SPB beers are the quality over all the rest of the locals, so finding out they are open for trade about 100 minutes away by car, was a treat.
Now, I have a three folded dream, and that is to open up a coffee roastery, artisan bakery and a craft beer brewery in the same location, down in the South. Besides the obvious knowledge in roasting, baking and brewing, I also need to scout the market, the location, the competition and the possibillities.
Mississippi is beautiful, but run down. Hattiesburg where SPB is located is probably my top choice, but Canton north of Jackson is also a very good spot. Now, one of the main things that sets SPB apart from the rest of the players in MS is the packaging.
When I first saw this packaging I wanted to try it. And the quality of the label was corresponding to the quality of the beverage. It’s not the absolutely best beer you’ve ever had in your life, but it’s never boring, always good and you won’t grow tired of it. That is more important than brewing something crazy unique (they have those too, though, at the brewery).
Packaging and design needs to be good, however quirky is better than unique, neat is better than crazy, but best of all is a product that tastes what the label shows somehow. It needs to reflect price, quality aspiration and set itself apart on the shelf, but not stand out in a way that will divide people into pro vs con (the Devil Harvest can above in religious MS is a bold move).
When it comes to wine, I feel there’s quite a lack of mid range wines at reasonable cost, with cool branding. Australia are very good at that, but America isn’t really there yet. Though ahead of its time was Charles Smith (namesake of my father-in-law, which is kinda funny). Not a farmer, but a producer of wines mainly from Washington State.
Great labels, easy to recognize, and overall quality that won’t offend a connesseur, but impress the average drinker. Now why is this so hard to create in coffee?
Found this in our local coffee shop in MS. B&W are two former competitors in barista comps, going into partnership. The green coffee quality is high, and the roasting is impeccible. But what about the design? It ticks all the boxes in terms of easy-to-read information, but I simply don’t understand the logo. It looks… hipsterish… but impersonal. Professional, sure. But a bit boring.
To me it becomes important to stand out in a crowd, to make a statement, but at the same time be approachable and make the buyer of your product feel they are co branding with it to say something about themselves.
[This text has been forgotten for a while due to new job and family tasks]
NP: DJ Blyatman Kamaz
there are no heroes in coffee 