work

Dia

Bold coffee fuels boundless creativity

Dia, the Latin American coffee-shop-by-day, restaurant-by-night in Greendale, Wisconsin, decided to expand their brick and mortar café into a bagged coffee bean company. They called on Savage for this fiery new brand excursion—from brand architecture and messaging, to artist collaboration and packaging design.

Brand Architecture

Brand Identity

Packaging Design

The Client

DIA

Dia’s coffee blends are bold by nature. Grown in rich volcanic soils on Latin American farms and co-ops, their beans are high in quality and fearless in flavor. Coffee drinkers are transported into a tropical paradise after just one sip of a Dia blend.

The Challenge

Landing on Dia’s identity

Despite their loyal café patrons and perfectly roasted coffee beans, Dia needed help with getting the word out on their new bagged coffee ventures. The challenge? They lacked a clear direction.

When seeking a solid ground, we first explored the obvious facts: Dia is delicious. Dia is ethically-sourced. Our research proved that these buzzwords were not unique in the coffee industry, and were in fact overused to the point of being meaningless.

In order to stand out on the shelf, we shifted our perspective. Instead of viewing coffee as a product, we thought of it as an experience. In Latin American countries, coffee is enjoyed by all ages throughout all times of the day. Coffee is ingrained in their culture—it’s what makes them feel alive, creative, and ready to party!

The Strategy

Celebrating Latin American culture

Latin culture is bright, fun, and festive. It’s about celebrating every day and living by the motto that it’s always a good time to have a good time. We didn’t want to miss out on the chance to pay homage to the countries from which Dia’s beans are sourced.

Savage designers were inspired by “rótulo,” which refers to the vibrant, hand-painted signs that are plastered along the streets of Latin America. This artistic lettering stands out in the crowd, and ultimately drove Dia’s creative direction.

Our strategy was to connect with the Latin community through art. Because bold coffee fuels boundless creativity.

From Brazil, to Peru, to Mexico, we reached out to various Latin artists that specialize in hand-lettering to create authentic designs on the coffee bags. This collaboration allowed each artist to express their signature style on their assigned blend—emulating that there’s a party brewing in every bag.

The Result

Making every ‘Dia’ count

Despite their loyal café patrons and perfectly roasted coffee beans, Dia needed help with getting the word out on their new bagged coffee ventures. The challenge? They lacked a clear direction.

When seeking a solid ground, we first explored the obvious facts: Dia is delicious. Dia is ethically-sourced. Our research proved that these buzzwords were not unique in the coffee industry, and were in fact overused to the point of being meaningless.

In order to stand out on the shelf, we shifted our perspective. Instead of viewing coffee as a product, we thought of it as an experience. In Latin American countries, coffee is enjoyed by all ages throughout all times of the day. Coffee is ingrained in their culture—it’s what makes them feel alive, creative, and ready to party!

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Amtelco

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