WELCOME
TO THE COTTAGE JOURNAL
009: Coffee Tasting Event in Grand Rapids
Join us for a special Coffee Tasting event at Good Judy’s Market & Juice Bar on Saturday, October 25th at 10AM.
008: BEHIND THE BRAND, PART I
A lifetime of memories transformed into Cottage Coffee within a couple of months’ time?? Brew yourself some coffee, and let’s dive in.
007: WELCOME TO THE COTTAGE
Welcome to The Cottage, the place that housed so many memories for so many of us over the past 50+ years. Not much has changed here over the decades of summertime fun, except for a few important things, like the septic! No more counting beads before you can flush.
006: READY TO LAUNCH
They say the hardest part is starting. I’d add that the hardest part is launching.
Launching means that everything you’ve started now needs to go out into the world. All of your hard work will now be judged, appreciated, ignored, second-guessed, and analyzed by all, including family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers.
005: BUILDING THE BRAND, PART II
After a mad-dash to get the initial brand identity and label designs prototyped for “004” GROUP GETAWAY” content shoot, it was back to the revision board to dial-in the branding and package design. The summer clock was ticking, so I didn’t have much time to finalize the packaging before sending it off to get produced.
004: GROUP GETAWAY
My rush to get the first coffee tin prototypes ready in “003: Building The Brand, Part I” was so I could capture our Memorial weekend getaway with friends Up North in Maple City where we enjoyed slow mornings sipping Cottage Coffee, cooked amazing meals outside, enjoyed local nature hikes at Sleeping Bear Dunes, and more.
003: BUILDING THE BRAND, PART I
I'd like to invite you all to join me on this journey. I’m planning to document every step of the process it takes to develop this coffee brand and the lifestyle it represents. In Part I, that means starting from the beginning with a blank canvas.
002: A THING FOR COFFEE
Taking my single-cup pour-over coffee brewing method at home became a struggle whenever I visited my family Up North. My background in product design, brand-building, and coffee could help solve this problem, getting myself and others back to what matters most: more time with loved ones.
001: INTRODUCTIONS
Please rewind your VHS tape to a simpler time and allow me to introduce myself. Welcome to The Cottage, where the coffee is brewed in batches, enjoyed cup after cup, and is shared with whoever walks out onto the porch next.