Great coffee makes waves

Raised on the coast, the founders of Alfresco Coffee Roasters grew up on fresh air, drinking in nature’s beauty before anything else. Supplying the community with responsibly-sourced specialty coffee, roasted on site at their Moruya HQ, there’s more to their mission than delivering on flavour and good vibes alone.

Challenge

An outdated brand identity fell short in terms of reflecting the superior quality, transparent supply chain practices, and community values defining the Alfresco team. In a saturated market, the challenge was to reposition the Alfresco brand by developing a clear, compelling narrative that sets its people apart. We set out to develop a visual and verbal identity aligned with the brand’s unique story, boosting recognition and fostering a deeper connection with South Coast frequenters and their extended network of stockists.

Solution

Channeling Alfresco’s adventurous spirit, the rebrand tells a story of conscious and purposeful procurement, industry expertise and love for the local community. The retro colour palette is a nod to the brand’s longstanding ties to the Eurobodalla region. Its logo mark symbolises the sky meeting the sea, while art direction frames coffee as a lifestyle, capturing relaxed moments between the surf. The recognisable typographic system scales for various formats, from packaging and print to social and web, with a typographic treatment that overlays hard left and right. The new tagline, “great coffee makes waves”, connects the brand’s coastal roots to a broader mission of driving meaningful change within the industry. 

Delivery

  • Brand
  • Positioning
  • Copywriting
  • Website
  • Clothing
  • Packaging
  • Art Direction & Photography
  • Signage

Logo mark

The logo mark consists of two overlapping circles, rich in meaning. This overlap embodies Alfresco’s coastal location, as well as their specialty coffee being a product of quality and flavour. The outlined alternate logomark represents the company’s transparent supply chains shaped by community values and industry expertise. This ties into the name itself, Alfresco, which means “to be out in the open”. To Alfresco, this is both a lifestyle and a business philosophy.

Modular coffee bags

Coffee packaging features resealable one-way valve bags, paired with blend-specific stickers detailing tasting notes and roast profile. This modular system reduces waste, lowers printing costs, and integrates efficiently into existing packing processes. Bold block colours and a tall, condensed typeface maximise shelf presence, with the flexibility to accommodate product names that vary in length.

Modern ecommerce

A complete overhaul of the existing brand and ecommerce experience was necessary to rebuild an authentic presence, drive coffee subscriptions, handle a large volume of rotating inventory and generate wholesale partnership leads. Intuitive navigation allows visitors to browse, shop and explore at their own pace, with seamless integration of the self-managed customer portal. Colour-blocking as a graphic device is elevated by subtle hover effects and fluid animations mimicking the motion of coffee filling a cup to create a warm, immersive digital experience.

Documenting the bean-to-cup journey

Combining education with ecommerce, brand content guides visitors through the bean-to-cup journey, highlighting Alfresco’s global sourcing relationships and impact initiatives. By raising awareness for coffee’s origins and opportunities for ethical sourcing, the brand promotes conscious, sustainable consumer behaviours.

Cohesive collateral

Alfresco’s new look extends across brand applications, from boxes and packing tape, to staff t-shirts, to van signage and coffee cups.

A globally competitive brand image

The Alfresco rebrand expands the business’s reach beyond its geographic location while capturing the values, quality, and character of the region. The new identity and website have played a pivotal role in elevating Alfresco from a regional favourite to a nationally recognised lifestyle brand. Since launch, online sales have increased by 26%, supported by a clearer path to purchase and a stronger, more confident brand presence.