Great coffee shouldn't be hard to find, but frankly, it can be a right old pain.

Many specialty coffee brands like to position themselves as somewhat ‘aloof’, creating unnecessary stress and confusion for people just wanting to drink some great tasting, ethically sourced coffee.

We wanted to zag this trend and position Grumpy Mule as a brand for everyone - make it easy to buy, try and enjoy. 

This gave us the space to help set Grumpy Mule apart, to create greater accessibility, and joy to be honest!

The first step we took was to make sure that the new proposition would really home in on the idea of taking a ‘no nonsense’ approach: how we act and how we talk about the coffee.

The newly developed ‘Kick-Ass coffee’ brand-line conveys a positive attitude without any unnecessarily negative vibes.

As our key brand asset, the mule was well loved, but we didn’t want it to be seen as a brand character with a bad attitude. We didn’t want to be seen as grumpy, despite the category disrupting name.

Instead of having the mule kicking its own brand name about, a bolder and more ‘iconic’ creature is now proudly positioned on the highest peak. where kick ass coffee comes from.

The brand is now more social, and more relatable but deliberately avoids cartoonification of the mule.

To further build friendliness and connectivity, the previously heavy black packaging has been replaced with a bright signature orange and a warmer coffee-coloured dark
brown shade.