Brew Dr Rebrands
Another of the larger kombucha companies in the US has jumped on the rebranding bandwagon. Portland, Oregon-based Brew Dr has embraced a new design and renamed some of their flavors.
Our bottles have changed and grown over the years, with the help of feedback from consumers like you. Our newest look is the natural evolution of that. We wanted our exterior to better reflect the chill, refreshing kombucha inside, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.
The rebrand extends to flavor names, with a focus on the natural environment (trails, oasis, mountain, grove):
- Wildberry Ginger is now Blackberry Trails
- Lemon Ginger is now Lemon Grove
- Citrus Earl Grey is now Orange Oasis
- Ginger Turmeric is now Mountain Ginger
History
The history of their branding journey is shown in this series of logos, from the newest (March 2023) to the original, when they were known as Townshend’s Tea (November, 2013) it’s been a journey that shows, as with Marin Kombucha, less is more on a label.
Mascot
They also include their mascot on the side of the new bottles and across their website with an Oregonian backwoods vibe:
Our new packaging also features everyone’s favorite sloth, Otis Sisgood, bringing him into the spotlight like never before. You may recognize Otis from under our caps, but now you can enjoy him on the side of our bottles, too.
While the cartoon representation is cute, and fits with the graphic design of their website, the choice of a sloth as a mascot seems odd, if not controversial. Indeed, the Sloth Conservation Foundation expressed concerns in 2017 about relocating these critters from their native habitat in Central and South America to Oregon.
No doubt Brew Dr have good reason for their choice of the sloth, a byword for indolence and inactivity, as a brand icon. It’s just not clear how it fits in with a go-ahead national brand.
Socially conscious
As the first kombucha brand in the US to become B-Corp certified, they are rightly proud of a wide range of socially conscious achievements, including:
- $246,901 donated to environmental & social nonprofits
- A commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030
- 100% renewable energy
- 544,450+ gallons of alcohol recycled
- 20% recycled glass since 2021.
The recycling of alcohol results from the extraction from the kombucha by Flavourtech Spinning Cone technology.
Pictured: A timely sale to flush the original brand from the shelves (March 14,2023)
Branding partner Pearlfisher posted:
The new vibrant and inviting visual identity system evokes a sense of place. Inspired by travel posters and nature, the landscape illustrations provide a rich ingredient-driven color story that offers an antidote to everyday chaos. Each unique flavor design primes consumers for an even more refreshing taste and encourages the consumer to close their eyes and escape to the wonderful world of Brew Dr.
Previously a more discoverable brand asset, Brew Dr.’s sloth mascot—Otis—now appears on packaging across all flavors in fun, unexpected ways. You can find Otis engaging in different activities and speaking to consumers by using a speech bubble, or you might discover Otis under a bottle cap saying witty things such as “peek-a-booch!”, “whatcha brewin?”, and “Fizzin’ tasty!”. Otis, much like the beloved Brew Dr. brand itself, creates a moment of reprieve and provides meaningful ways to make people stop and smile.