Background

MCR Coffee roasters is a boutique coffee roaster and master blender that sells its coffee beans throughout China. With humble beginnings in Melbourne, the business and its founders share with passion the coffee culture and spirit of innovation that Melburnians know well within the coffee landscape. Within 10 years, the business has grown from strength to strength in China, served more than 100+ stores across China, largely through its reputation and a strong emphasis on people and relationships in the industry. 

The brand has grown since its beginnings and is now ready to move forward for the next 10 years; leading the wave of coffee as a specialty roaster, master blender and B2C coffee retail platform in China. BrandWorks was engaged to help develop its brand architecture, brand assets, packaging and marketing model for its B2B partners and direct-to-consumer B2C online channels.

Approach

For over 10 years, MCR has been creating its own pathway to success. It’s founders believe that growing the business is much like building a village; starting small and inviting people to discover and love coffee just like they do. With growth at the front of mind, MCR believes in doing it together, in collaboration and supporting each other along the way as the secret to long-term success. With a strong emphasis on integrity and values, its pathway to growth is through good people, relationships and sharing openly their knowledge with hospitality operators and the consumer. By simply doing what they do well, with care and attention to detail that makes the real difference.

Challenge

MCR’s brand story and personality was limited to their product rather that focusing on its values and its philosophy. When compared to other coffee brands in market, there was difficulty distinguishing itself from others. MCR’s packaging design was limited in its ability to market cohesively with its B2B partners, which in turn made it more difficult to promote MCR’s retail coffee offering more broadly.

MCR had recently updated its brand identity and packaging however the founders felt there was something lacking in the brand story and the personality that was not reflected in the product or packaging. With many competitors in China, there was a strong case for the brand to stand out from the crowd and be represented by real people and quality. In China, market growth through personalised service and word of mouth is seen as slow when compared to highly visible brands using social influencers and heavy promotion tactics to spur short-term unsustainable growth.

Result

Coffee is the new office.

The brand’s repositioning took on a holistic appraoch of why people come and enjoy coffee. Infact, MCR doesn't make coffee per se. It’s a place where people are can be free to think, create and be amazing. Coffee is the new office. Liberating and energising, coffee is not a product but rather a means of letting ourselves go and our go-to to feeling inspired to do something we may have held back on. MCR ambition to become China's independent coffee brand is driven by desire to make the everyday possible. Inspiring people and driven by excellence and service. The new dynamic brandmark is flexible and adaptable, opening up the brand to the many possibilities in the future.

MCR is a place where creators can create their own story. With an open invitation to the creatives; artists, musicians, writers, designers, performers and entrepreneurs etc who shape and advance culture forward so we can all enjoy. It’s vision is to be To become China's leading specialty coffee and lifestyle brand, by sharing the joy of coffee through quality, innovation and people. This ambition will be reflected in every offline-to-online touchpoint for the brand, future collaborations and B2B partnerships.