There’s fair trade, there’s direct trade, then there’s coffee bought straight from the farmer at a single family plantation in Atenas, Costa Rica. With such a singular product and such a genuine story to tell, Unicycle Creative was stoked to have the opportunity to name this unique blend and design its packaging.

I wanted to communicate the intimacy of this supply-chain in a way that was both fresh and human. When I found out that the name of the matriarch of the farm was ‘Sole’ and that the word has the same meaning in Costa Rican Spanish as in English, I knew I had to look no further for the perfect branding.

Using images from a Juanita, a photographer and friend of the family farm, and working remotely with my client, I designed labels for medium and dark roast varieties using portraits of ‘mama’ Sole and ‘papa’ Gerardo.

My client, Primal Echo, is based out of Fort Collins Colorado. Ana Arias, the Primal Echo ‘Chief Monkey’, actually grew up in Costa Rica and is using her local roots to design a whole line of artisan products from the ground up. Because of the limited initial quantities, Ana elected to use adhesive labels printed locally and applied to the bags. So it was that I ended up sending press-ready PDF’s all the way to San Jose Costa Rica where they were printed by Duenografica.

When Ana sent pictures of our label subjects actually holding the packages at the farm, I was incredibly pleased with both the graphic outcome and the miracle of Internet technology.

To have designed a package in Vancouver Canada for a client from Fort Collins Colorado which was printed and produced in Central America brings the whole world closer together.

But now I really think it’s time for a trip to the farm…

Find out more about Primal Echo, Sole Coffee, and the family farm on Ana’s blog here. To order online, visit PrimalEcho.com To talk more about supply-chain-conscious branding, drop me a line.

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