The mission

Warbler & Wren is an Irish specialty coffee brand with a strong name, a loyal following and a clear commitment to quality. But as it looked to grow its presence, particularly in university cafés and campus locations, it needed a sharper identity and a stronger story to match its ambitions.

The brand had already earned respect from café owners and baristas who saw it as a mark of quality. A way to differentiate themselves in a competitive market. Our job was to build on that reputation, clarify its values and create a brand that would resonate just as strongly with a wider consumer audience.

The transformation

Our process began with full brand immersion, visiting key locations and speaking to café owners, staff and customers to understand how the brand was perceived. These insights shaped a focused brand workshop, where we defined the brand’s values and brought clarity to its voice.

The positioning was built around the tagline “Guardians of Great Coffee” – a powerful phrase that drew meaning from the brand name itself, while reinforcing its promise to protect quality, craft and sustainability at every stage. In nature, the warbler and the wren are small but mighty protectors of the coffee plant, keeping harmful pests at bay. This quiet guardianship inspired the name, also symbolising the brand’s role in safeguarding coffee quality from crop to cup.

The brand’s signature yellow was refined for greater impact and a bold new pattern was created featuring the warbler and the wren. The identity took cues from the tropical origins of the coffee while remaining proudly rooted in Ireland, reinforced through tone of voice and messaging.

Every creative decision was made with the brand’s target customer in mind: a socially aware, quality-conscious coffee drinker looking for a sustainable, locally roasted alternative.