Mocha Master Roasters

Mocha Coffee grew from the dream of John and Irene Mannassis upon immigrating to Australia from Greece in 1958. The third generation of Mannassis siblings, Theo, Maria, and Paul, are the current custodians of that dream and aim to preserve the integrity of the European coffee flavour by keeping the business a “Family Affair.” Mocha Coffee’s commitment to the entire process of roasting, from picking coffee cherries to sun drying beans, establishes them as a true artisanal brand.

In seeking to expand the business to the wider Australian wholesale market, Mocha Coffee needed a brand identity that communicates its core values of heritage, authenticity and coffee perfection to key stakeholders. In particular, Mocha needed to increase its appeal to baristas and coffee aficionados. Mocha required a brand identity that highlighted its artisanal values while conveying a high-quality coffee brand worthy of front-of-counter display at Australia’s best cafes.

This was executed through the creation of a brand identity that alludes to heritage design in a fresh, modern manner. On their packaging, a curated selection of typefaces calls out their biggest value propositions, namely their history, passion, and love for coffee. The layout and eclectic use of historical typefaces are also reminiscent of old, stamped burlap sacks used to hold and transport coffee beans. With such a dynamic design, it was important to unify the brand under one distinct icon. The large serif “m” successfully does this and reiterates Mocha’s value in its heritage. The colours for the Mocha brand were chosen to communicate the strength and origin of the beans. Emphasising the quality of the coffee was important to the Mannassis family who take pride in their skill and knowledge base built up over three generations.

The new brand was received with enthusiasm and praise from Mocha’s internal and external stakeholders. Mocha executives reported back excitement from previously passive clients. The business is in the process of rolling out their new brand to display in cafes Australia-wide.

Davidson Branding was awarded Silver at the 2019 Melbourne Design Awards for this brand identity.