How to Start a Coffee Brand

How to Start a Coffee Brand

How to Start a Coffee Brand

Starting a coffee brand should go hand-in-hand with starting your coffee shop. Without a coffee brand, your coffee business can be easily lost and forgotten in the face of competition.

Whether you start an online coffee business, a mobile coffee trailer, or a brick-and-mortar coffee shop, building a coffee brand can have enormous benefits.

This article will discuss what a coffee brand is, why it matters, and how you might develop it. Developing a coffee brand is really the fun part of starting a coffee business.

Ask yourself:

• What Is a Coffee Brand?
• Why does a coffee brand matter? (Benefits)
• How do you start building your coffee brand?

How to Start a Coffee Brand

How to Start a Coffee Brand

We are all familiar with that white paper coffee cup with the green mermaid logo.

That famous Starbucks cup.

The Starbucks brand has come to define retail coffee for many of us in the U.S. and arguably for Europe.

Starbucks has changed our language regarding coffee, including such popularizing words as “barista,” – for those who prepare and serve coffee – which is Italian for bartenders.

Whether we realize it or not, we have specific emotions about Starbucks – perhaps you think their coffee is delicious – for others, it might be too expensive, too dark or burnt, too corporate. Whatever that emotional connection is – that's your personal association with that brand.

Regarding our branding, it’s essential to focus on the emotion behind your coffee brand.

As consumers, we all have some understanding of what a brand is. We're seasoned shoppers who know what brands we like and what to avoid. In addition, we each have our own experiences and remember the level of satisfaction we have with particular brands.

We often don't realize that our brains are working in the background, remembering what we like and don't like – about a brand—and sealing the deal – when it comes to our emotions.

How to Start a Coffee Brand

First, let's start with a definition.

 What is a brand?

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as “A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.”

Often, a brand identifies one item, a family of products, or all offerings of that seller. It also identifies the seller itself.

But a brand is much more than just a symbol or name.

Your brand is an emotional connection between a company or organization and the individual customer.

A brand latches on to those essential things people and consumers want, value, and yearn for. 

If you're hungry – you see the golden arches (McDonald's). If you need shoes, you know the swoosh sign (Nike). If you're thirsty, you may go for that cold cola – you use the swirly font of Coca-Cola.

If you want coffee, you know what to look for in your neighborhood – that green mermaid – or your own personal favorite coffee brand.

When it comes to your coffee business, your job is to develop a strong brand that communicates.

• Quality
• Consistency
• Value

Benefits of Having a Coffee Brand

Developing a coffee brand does several important things for your coffee business.  First, it creates a recognizable connection, which can be good, bad, or neutral. Of course, you want to develop a positive brand that generates feelings of trust, high quality, and reliability.

Consider some common brands we can easily recognize and feel good about. We can instantly recognize them and associate some feelings with them. This is a powerful tool in a busy world with lots of noise. 

Second, developing your brand generates added value for your company. The more well-regarded your brand is, the more potential it has to drive your coffee company's value. 

It's easier to develop a well-regarded coffee brand right from the beginning instead of years into your coffee business. Therefore, investing some thought and energy into your brand's long-term development is worth it. But it should start early with your name, logo, color scheme, slogan, and even cafe design. 

Further Reading: Coffee Shop Business Concepts

How to Start a Coffee Brand

What Does It Take to Develop a Coffee Brand?

To develop a memorable brand, You're going to need the following:

• Understand your mission
• Determine Your coffee shop USP
• Know your target customer
• Focus on quality consistently
• Determine the experience
• Develop a clear message

Understand your mission

What is the purpose of your coffee business? Of course, you want to sell coffee and make a profit, but what's the ultimate mission? Is it to bring the best organic coffee to your town? Is it to offer the best latte art and specialty coffee drinks, or is it a primary coffee roasting business?

Determine what your mission will be – and embed that sentiment within your brand.

Determine your USP

Take time to brainstorm over the following questions:

• Why should people visit your coffee shop?
• What's that special thing about your coffee shop that no one else has?
• What makes you better than the coffee shops in the neighborhood?

That particular thing is your Unique Selling Point – or Unique Sales Proposition.

Your USP needs to be embedded within your branding. Only you should define yourself – otherwise, the competition will.

Know your target customer

For your products to have an impact, it needs to be centered on the right customer. Therefore, you will want to understand who your customer is.

Building a coffee brand that resonates – and connects directly to your customer – requires a bit of research, reflection, and understanding.

Deliver quality – every time!

You want your brand to be synonymous with high quality, great service, and impeccable taste. Your brand should symbolize quality through your products, customer service, and messaging. In addition, your baristas and other staff members must highlight your brand's quality during every transaction.

Determine the experience

Your brand also symbolizes the experience your customers will have. Take, for instance, the Hilton or Ritz Carlton – and Motel 6 – each of these hotel chains has its branding – and each of these businesses projects or messages what type of experience the customer will have.

What type of experience will your customer have?

Develop a clear message

What message do you want to convey to your customers?

Your branding should be clear and extend a clear message of quality and value. Your goal should be to have your brand embody your story – your narrative.

Further Reading: How to Start an Online Coffee Shop

Developing Your Coffee Brand

What Your Coffee Brand is Not

What your coffee brand is not:

Your logo: Your brand isn't simply your logo or the symbolism you use but encompasses your logo. Your brand is the entire message. It’ll be that emotional trigger we talked about above.

Your slogan: Your brand is not just your slogan. Like your logo, your brand consists of other elements as well.

Tips on developing your coffee shop brand:

• Decide on how you want your customers to see you
• Choose a name that is clear, concise, and easy to spell
• Develop your vision and be consistent
• Develop your platforms (website, social media accounts, and printed materials)
• Do your research and business planning
• Make sure your papers and build-out are in order
• Hire a designer to sketch out your logo and work with professionals to deliver your brand vision

Decide on how you want your customers to see you.

Depending on your coffee shop concept, you will want to be the person to define what type of coffee business you have. For example, do you want to be known as the fastest coffee drive-thru stand in town? On the other hand, do you want to be the cafe known for the best bagels or pies in your neighborhood? 

Decide how you want to be seen, then build your coffee business. 

Choose a coffee business name that fits.

Your coffee shop name matters a lot. Naming your coffee shop can be more challenging than you think. We recommend choosing a name that is clear, easy to read, spell, and remember. 

Develop your vision and be consistent.

Having a vision for your coffee shop is essential. It keeps you grounded, develops consistency, and supports your long-term goals.  So create a vision and embed that within your branding effort.

Develop your platforms

(website, social media accounts, and printed materials).

Once you decide on your coffee shop's name, you will want to get your coffee shop website and social media accounts. While you might not have any material or content to put in yet, you will want to secure these accounts first. 

Your essential research and business planning

The research and planning phase is not as exciting as branding. However, it’s unavoidable if you want to focus on developing your brand successfully.

To answer all the questions posed, you need to first know your location, budget, estimated sales, etc.

Make sure your permits and buildout are in order.

You can only deliver the value of your brand if you have all the operations running smoothly before you begin. You want to get all the necessary permits, install all needed fixtures, and not be afraid when the next inspection arrives.

Hire a designer to sketch out your logo and work with professionals to deliver your brand's vision

If you focus on quality – it should be felt in every aspect of your business – from your logo to marketing. Consider hiring a professional on Upwork or another online marketplace who knows how to combine your logo with overall branding. Invite professional help to help you with branding buildout if you don’t know how to do it yourself.

Further Reading: How to Write a Coffee Shop Business Plan

How to Start a Coffee Brand

Conclusion:

Developing a coffee brand can separate your coffee business from the rest of the field. Whether you want to start an online coffee business or any other type of coffee business, you’re brand will be the foundation of your business.

Developing a strong brand – based on consistent quality and excellent customer service – is hard to replace. Therefore, it’s important to take steps always to support and defend your brand name. Your brand and your reputation start with your vision and stewardship. Cutting corners or substituting genuine efforts to meet the needs of your customers will hurt your brand, tarnish your reputation, and hallow your value. 

Further Reading: How to Promote Your Coffee Shop

Are You Ready To Get Started?

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Coffee Shop Startups

Based in Seattle, Washington, USA, Coffee Shop Startups is dedicated to providing you with the most relevant information on how to start a coffee shop business successfully. Over the last 11 years, we've helped thousands of aspiring coffee business owners worldwide. We harness the experience, wisdom, and knowledge of many successful coffee shop owners to help you increase your chances of success and profits. We support business owners who want to start a coffee business by providing them with valuable information on starting their coffee business successfully.