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The London Coffee Festival 2015.  Branding v. stand out

Do coffee brands need some decaf?

The London Coffee Festival at the Old Truman Brewery is this year’s showcase for Café Society as it is now - young, brash, eager, knowing and clever.  
There can’t be many retail arenas that have succeeded in combining taste, ethics, skilful preparation and global responsibility into one very singular activity - making and drinking coffee.

Every new trend was on show and amplified to the max. Cold brew, cold press, flake, powders, micro, macro, café chain, including not for profit brand “Charity” and most defiantly for profit café chain Starbucks.

As with all trade shows the newness and vitality can be overwhelming. And sure enough I found that after the first thirty minutes everything started to mash up into one brand look. Lots of hessian, stencil lettering, ever-so-clever whimsical names, visual gymnastics with once ethnic decorative arts and the ‘on your sleeve’ promotion of fair trade.

However, tucked in the corner and looking somewhat out of place I was pleased to see a coffee brand that had clearly decided to be itself and demonstrate it could deliver a vision of coffee and café with a refreshing single-mindedness.  
No nod here to faux ethnic craft or overstated claims on trading ethics.

Alt Wien
The name means “Old Vienna” and like Starbucks is a coffee brand that has grown out of a café experience. 

The proud crisp branding instantly evokes the heritage and tradition of Viennese coffee houses. Where great coffee taste and stylish settings originated. Coffee as affordable luxury and time out of a hectic day.

It would have been easy for Alt Wien to be lazy and fall back into tradition -   become a café museum - but instead the brand, while oozing heritage, still looks contemporary and fresh.

The Alt Wien Stand also stood out at LCF - no hessian or stencils in sight!
Instead they captured the mood music perfectly with playful random images juxtaposed against the tight and determined branding.

http://www.altwien.at

Note to self - next trade show, spend more time looking in the corners!