Stokes Coffee, a fourth-generation family business based in Lincoln, has shown real passion and innovation throughout their 124-year history - but it wasn’t reflected in their branding. Moreover, the market around them has changed. Newer, sharper coffee brands - both consumer and trade - were establishing themselves across the UK, and Stokes Coffee’s visual identity, packaging and messaging weren’t keeping pace.
There was no consistent branding linking their cafes, wholesale operation and retail offerings. The brand felt fragmented, and without a clear creative direction, that inconsistency was becoming a commercial issue. Stokes Coffee needed more than just a tidy-up. They needed a solid strategic and creative foundation to compete at a national level.
The Eat Team conducted a thorough internal workshop, auditing Stokes Coffee’s brand essence, values and their competitors to see where their unique strengths lie. We found that Stokes Coffee champions heritage, sustainability and community at the forefront of their operations. They’re all about real coffee and real people, but our audit uncovered a disjointed brand identity and strategy across channels. This offered us a great creative opportunity to sharpen Stokes Coffee’s brand strategy in a way that showcased their unique charm.
Eat developed illustrated characters based on real members of the Stokes Coffee team, including previous generations of ‘Stokes people’. This gave the brand a sense of warmth and approachability, emphasising the real people behind the brand. However, the creation of the ‘Stokes people’ wasn’t just a cosmetic decision. It was a deliberate strategic choice to root the brand’s identity in the culture and family history that differentiates them from others in the market.
Built around these characters, the moodboarding and teaser concepts established a cohesive visual and verbal language that displayed Stokes Coffee’s brand essence of honesty, warmth and expertise. For the first time, every aspect of the colour, typography, tone of voice and packaging direction was aligned and working together. The result? A newly united brand platform that showed Stokes Coffee’s genuine personality across every touchpoint.
The brand overhaul successfully bridged the gap between Stokes Coffee’s rich history and the modern marketplace. By honing their unique personality and translating it into a cohesive visual identity, Eat Marketing gave Stokes Coffee the foundation to grow across every channel, from their in-person cafes to their wholesale suppliers, with confidence and brand clarity. Stokes Coffee is now fully equipped to compete efficiently in a busy market - without losing the personality that sets them apart.
