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Roam & Root Launch

Country

United States

Industry

Food & Beverage

Type

Full Engagement
Project Overview

Roam & Root, an artisan coffee company with roots in ethical sourcing and intentional ritual, approached me at a pivotal moment: after supplying beans to a local café for a year, they were ready to scale. The team needed a complete brand identity, customer segmentation, and a go-to-market strategy that could support both B2B and DTC expansion. From visual storytelling and UX research to pre-launch activations and digital advertising, this project called for a holistic, story-first approach.

research
The Audience

Our research revealed six distinct audience profiles—each with their own motivations, rituals, and design sensibilities.

The Passionate Owner-Barista – Someone who lives and breathes craft coffee. Often behind the bar, they seek consistency, quality, and shared values.
The Passionate Owner-Barista – Someone who lives and breathes craft coffee. Often behind the bar, they seek consistency, quality, and shared values.
The Curious Consumer – A values-driven home brewer exploring specialty coffee for the first time. Drawn to storytelling, origin, and sensory discovery.
The Curious Consumer – A values-driven home brewer exploring specialty coffee for the first time. Drawn to storytelling, origin, and sensory discovery.
The Environmentally Conscious Buyer – Prioritizes sustainability at every touchpoint—from compostable packaging to carbon offsets and small-farm sourcing.
The Environmentally Conscious Buyer – Prioritizes sustainability at every touchpoint—from compostable packaging to carbon offsets and small-farm sourcing.
The Aesthetic Tastemaker – Thinks in moodboards. This audience is deeply design-forward and shops with their eyes first. Packaging matters.
The Aesthetic Tastemaker – Thinks in moodboards. This audience is deeply design-forward and shops with their eyes first. Packaging matters.
The Coffee Entrepreneur – Building a brand or business in the coffee space and seeking high-quality, ethically sourced beans they can stand behind.
The Coffee Entrepreneur – Building a brand or business in the coffee space and seeking high-quality, ethically sourced beans they can stand behind.
The Community-Driven Operator – A local café owner who sees coffee as a conduit for connection. Prioritizes relationship-based sourcing and partnership.
The Community-Driven Operator – A local café owner who sees coffee as a conduit for connection. Prioritizes relationship-based sourcing and partnership.

We mapped journey flows, segmentation logic, and key messaging pillars to align with each persona’s values, rituals, and digital behavior.

the look

Rooted in Nature, Refined for Modern Living

The Roam & Root logo blends bold simplicity with subtle symbolism, while the logo mark explores abstract themes of rootedness, origin, and duality. A system of minimalist icons and refined serif and sans-serif typography grounds the visual language.

The muted forest color palette—anchored by pine, ash, ochre, and clay—evokes a sense of natural warmth and restraint. Paired with soft paper textures and organic layout spacing, the brand’s visuals feel both artisanal and elevated.

design
Pre-Launch Campaigns

Building Ritual Before the First Pour
Before the ecommerce site went live, Roam & Root launched a multi-channel pre-launch strategy focused on list-building, taste profiling, and brand storytelling:

“A Better Morning Starts Here”:

A soft landing page offered early access and first dibs on our debut roast. Visitors could reserve a bag by entering their name, email, and a few quick preferences. This campaign established the core email list and introduced the brand’s intentional tone.

“What’s Your Coffee Style?” Quiz:

A short interactive quiz matched each visitor to a roast personality—Bright & Bold, Floral & Balanced, or Deep & Earthy. Respondents received a free sample that matched their profile, helping us capture data, segment audiences, and delight early fans.

“Join the Waitlist” Carousel Campaign:

A carousel-style social ad campaign ran across Meta and Instagram, offering glimpses of the brand’s design, farmer stories, and upcoming roasts. Each slide drove viewers to sign up for early access and pre-release perks.

Go-to-Market Strategy

From Pop-Ups to Postcards

The multi-channel strategy included digital, experiential, and traditional tactics designed to scale with the brand. From curated influencer boxes and pop-up tasting events to compostable packaging inserts and localized media pitching, each tactic reinforced the brand’s core values.

Ad retargeting campaigns and marketplace listings were introduced post-launch to support growth on platforms like Amazon and MistoBox. As Roam & Root prepared to scale into grocery retail, the brand remained focused on its dual promise: bold, beautiful coffee—and the story behind every sip.