Roland Foods

An 84-year-old food importing company rediscovers its original voice while changing with the times.

Roland Foods Hero

SERVICES
Brand Strategy, Identity Design Refresh, Responsive Website Design, Copywriting, Photography, Printed and Digital Marketing Campaigns

PROJECT TYPE
Brand Refresh, Brand Expansion, Website Design, Marketing Support

Roland Foods began with a powerful story of a man who fled Nazi Germany to America and built a company on a hunch about the desirability of dried French mushrooms. After years of dedication, good taste and natural relationship-building, the company grew from a husband-and-wife team sitting in a tiny New York office, to an internationally acclaimed standard in quality commercial ingredients.

Sifting through decades of photos, documents and label artwork, I discovered over 170 iterations of their company logo. Their most recent versions lacked the warmth and vigor that was so evident in their story and colorful illustrated packaging. We resurrected the label artwork and hand drew a new logo from scratch influenced by handwriting and typographic styles of the 1930s.

As a result of our work together, the founder's son shared his gratitude for seeing his parents' legacy honored through the visuals and content on the website. The CEO remarked that I had "helped move the brand forward 20 years," which helped Roland Foods reposition their company from mere importers to strategic partners in food service and product development.

They were now armed with a new identity to use on a variety of marketing collateral and product packaging. I oversaw the design and development of their custom responsive WordPress website, marketing email templates, promotional gift boxes, onboarding documents, presentation templates, and enviable company swag. For continuity after my portion of work was completed, I met with their in-house design team to introduce the brand guidelines and provide the assets to facilitate their continued work on the brand.

Roland Website Wide

To kick off the brand rollout, I printed branded t-shirts, mugs and tote bags for staff and top customers.

I helped to reposition their company from mere importers to strategic partners in food service and product development. Original vintage label artwork served as an endearing visual backdrop, bridging the old with the new, emphasizing dedication to their craft and their loyalty to vendors.

I collaborated with various department heads, from marketing to sales and operations, to develop brand consistency and breathe new life into customer onboarding documents, brand guidelines and marketing collateral.