Stale Local Bakery Gets A Fresh New Brand.

My client had been running their baking business since 2000 when they bought a failing Bunsmaster franchise. They quickly realized flaws in the Bunsmaster business model and pivoted to become a B2B bakery instead. They still maintain a retail storefront, but the majority of their business is now in setting up small bakery departments in independent groceries and produce stores as well as contracting to schools, sports venues and institutions.

They needed to shed the tired Bunsmaster brand and develop a brand that would appeal both to their grocery clients and the retail customers as well. 

Their packaging consisted of plain, clear bags with laser-printed stickers with no signage, advertising or branding to speak of. They may as well have operated without a label at all.

We began with a competitive review of local retail bakers and the overall bread market. Ours was a company that made value-priced bread and buns for people who wanted fresher bread than national name brands but who were not typically buyers of more expensive artisan bread. It was bread for people who want fresh and local without the premium price tag.

A New Name For Freshness

We began with name development. I explored names that paid tribute to the long days a baker has, names based on location, local trading history and more. Finally ending up with a name that spoke to freshness and included the owner’s name as well. Reddymade Baking Company.

Next, I set to work developing their new logo. We discussed the idea of an identity that looked like it had some history to it. A “crest-like” logo with an implied heritage. And as freshness was the most significant claim we could make, I suggested the “Love Your Loaf Guarantee” and included that brand promise in the logo itself.

The client had shared with me how their bakers bake daily and drivers deliver new bread and rotate stock constantly to ensure freshness, so this seemed like a claim we could reasonably make.

Next, I designed new bags for their top-selling varieties, Kaisers, Portuguese Buns, Pizza Shells, Pizza Pretzels and Cheeze Stix. The packages featured very large product names on a field of solid colour with logos and callouts violating border edges. And in order to increase the value perception of the line, I wrote descriptive copy for each product variety. Lastly, the bags all featured the “Love Your Loaf Guarantee” on the baseline.

To follow up, I created a business-to-business website to help recruit new retailers and tell the story of their brand. And a few months later I built an additional e-commerce site to help support their direct online sales.

Reddymade is a fresh new brand for a hard-working family business. There’s still much to be done, but Reddymade is on track to continue to grow with plans for new store interiors, in-store signage, sales materials, online ads and more.