Description

In the beginning was the Word.
And the Word was with God.
And the Word was God.
And the God was Fire.

Background:

Fire and firewater are the key elements of Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest religions in the territory of modern Azerbaijan. A team of specialists came together to recreate a national drink — arag, a fruit distillate, in a modern form . By reimagining the production process, the creators combined modern equipment with tradition to create a unique premium product.

Task:

Complete rebranding to establish clear positioning, develop a platform, and ensure that verbal and visual attributes align with a premium product.

Solution:

Step 1:
Referring to history through the lens of historical attributes and integrating them into the platform and identity.

Step 2:
Formulating the platform as "drinks with the history" and defining the mission as the constant development of the national distilling and gastroculture.

Step 3:
Renaming: from previous various names BakuCraftLab and MeyVali to the internationally recognized MEYVI SPIRITS.

Step 4:
Engaging in the development of gastronomic tourism, participatng in international exhibitions, launch of the space with a boutique and bar, initiating lectures on culinary culture, and promoting the country on the global stage.

A visual style, based on national Azerbaijani ornament — shebeke — was developed, and designs were created for over 30 SKU (arags, liquors, bar line) of the brand. We changed everything: from the bottles and their caps to visual language of labels. Bottles have from 3 to 4 separated labels designating traveling (like stamps and other traveling signs). For bar line we created colored transparent labels to underline our design solutions in the bar lights.

Result:

The change in platform allowed for the preservation of premium pricing and production quality, maintaining sales volumes while becoming a highly requested product for presentations and high-level meetings.

As of June 2024, basic brand awareness reached 3 million residents of Azerbaijan (based on social media coverage statistics).

Qualitative surveys showed approximately 87% approval of the rebranding, with final branding alignment with the product and its pricing.

Plans include launching specialized courses for guides in gastronomic tourism, participating in tourist trails, and expanding export distribution.

www.meyvispirits.com
https://www.instagram.com/meyvi_spirits

Credits

Mariya Seilova --- brand strategist
Anar Bakenova --- art-director
Yevgeniy Kinzerskiy --- designer