Description:

New Ground, a disruptive startup in the coffee market, began with the ambition to establish a distinct presence by creating a Specialty Instant Coffee product. However, the absence of manufacturing capabilities in New Zealand and globally led to a three-year engineering journey that culminated in the development of the NGT extraction system. This innovation birthed a full-service manufacturing business dedicated to long-life specialty coffee products.

Collaborating with the world’s best coffee roasters, New Ground manufactures high-quality instant coffee, canned ready-to-drink coffee, and coffee concentrates, thereby elevating the standards of long-life specialty coffee. In a market saturated with exceptional consumer brands, New Ground needed a brand that would support its partner brands while highlighting its manufacturing edge. Their goal is to become the go-to platform for product innovation in the specialty coffee industry, driving forward new ideas and setting benchmarks for excellence.

The concept for New Ground centred around the question: “How do we create a consumer brand for a B2B manufacturing business?” Instead of hiding the big machinery and processes that define manufacturing, the strategy was to embrace and highlight these aspects. This approach made the design proposition unique, as it needed to harmonise with partner brands while maintaining its own identity and personality. As a manufacturer working with various coffee roasters, the New Ground brand had to convey a sense of trust and ease, allowing key customers to engage comfortably. The brand exudes consistency and expertise, incorporating elements intrinsic to manufacturing: the scale of operations, state-of-the-art equipment, and continuous innovation.

New Ground’s branding utilised elements commonly seen in manufacturing environments, such as temporary labels, minimalistic branding, and the raw aesthetic of industrial equipment. Materials like stainless steel and cardboard, prevalent in manufacturing, were integrated into the brand’s visual identity. This reinforced New Ground’s authenticity as a manufacturer and set it apart as a brand that embraces its role in the production process, emphasising a hands-on, genuine approach to manufacturing new-world coffee products.

The design for New Ground was simple yet thoughtfully considered as part of a wider communication strategy. The foundation of the brand identity was a clean, basic word-mark that appeared consistently across all touch-points. Additionally, a unique stamp-like identity was crafted for their patented extraction technology, “NGT,” which was featured prominently as a quality mark. The typography system used clean, structural sans-serif typefaces chosen for their refined appearance and personality, aligning with the brand’s inherent fascination with Willy Wonka. A graphic tool inspired by temporary stickers used by the production team was introduced, adding colour and serving a role in differentiation and quirk.

For New Ground’s range of foodservice goods, the design leaned into the inspiration from hardware and equipment used in manufacturing processes. The silver hue of stainless steel and small pops of red mirrored the NGT hardware, reinforcing the brand’s identity and tying the foodservice offering back to their manufacturing roots. By not shying away from the industrial aspects of the business, New Ground’s branding celebrates its role as a manufacturer while appealing to both roasters and consumers.

New Ground’s mission is to enable coffee roaster brands to diversify their product offerings into new categories. By providing the capabilities to develop and manufacture long-life ready-to-drink products, New Ground opens doors for exploration and innovation in product development, allowing roasters to venture into previously unattainable areas. Facilitating data-driven innovation with rapid product development, they are at the forefront of the next wave of the industry. The brand promotes a sense of creativity, enabling ideas to flow seamlessly from concept to execution. New Ground acts as a beacon of creativity, encouraging roasters and brands to experiment with new products and processes, stimulating the entire industry to push the boundaries of what is possible.

Additionally, New Ground’s commitment to working with local roasters underscores their dedication to supporting the local economy and community. By focusing on sustainability and innovation, the brand contributes to a more vibrant and dynamic coffee culture in New Zealand. This combination of creative freedom, local collaboration, and industry leadership sets New Ground apart and elevates their work within the coffee sector.