Clou creates new corporate design for Rast Kaffee
The Lucerne-based advertising agency Clou has developed a comprehensive redesign for the long-established Swiss coffee roaster Rast Kaffee. With the handover to the fourth generation and the move to a new location, the 100-year-old family-owned company received a contemporary brand identity—from its corporate design and website to its new coffee packaging.
Until 2024, Rast Kaffee roasted the coffee for Emmi's iconic Caffè Latte. Today, the company supplies freshly roasted coffee to major customers such as McDonald's in addition to national end customers from the hotel, restaurant and retail sectors. This makes Rast Kaffee an established name in the Swiss coffee world and a byword for top quality, artisan roasting and sustainable partnerships.
In September 2024, the company moved to a new location and a few years earlier handed over the business to the fourth generation. The perfect moment to give the 100-year-old family business a new corporate design. The Lucerne-based advertising agency Clou was commissioned with the comprehensive redesign.
Fine-tuning the logo and new design elements
The gently revised logo retains the brand's high recognition value. The other branding elements, however, including colors, illustrations and imagery, were completely redeveloped. The advertising agency Clou used this creative freedom to create a lively and emotional brand world that can be continuously expanded. Geometric illustrations based on the square logo symbolize the world of Rast Kaffee in a playful way and show how the company is committed to exceptional coffee quality from the selection of the green coffee to the first sip from the cup.
Good packaging as a balancing act
While the first elements of the new brand identity, such as the website and stationery, were implemented in 2024, the big bang was due at the end of 2025: the roll-out of the new coffee packaging and labels - the heart of every coffee brand.
The development of the coffee bags showed once again that good design always requires decisions. When choosing the material, for example, the question arose: matt or glossy? Although the preferred matt finish would look more sustainable, it would have required an additional layer of plastic. This would have made the packaging less resource-efficient, which in turn would not have been in line with Rast Kaffee's sustainability promise. The balancing act between recognition and surprise also had to be overcome in the design in order to continue to attract loyal customers. The consensus: in addition to a clearer label, the familiar front remains, while the sides and back correspond to the new design and are used for information and storytelling.
The new brand identity is now contemporary, more emotional and lighter, without losing any of its recognition value. "We are delighted to continue our long-standing tradition with this redesign and at the same time set new, fresh accents," says Reto Buchli, Head of Sales at Rast.
The family business acts not only out of responsibility, but out of the deepest conviction. From the origin to the enjoyment in the cup, Rast Kaffee does everything in its power along the entire value chain to offer its customers specialty coffee of exceptional quality. The roastery pursues a sustainable approach and relies on direct trade and long-term partnerships with coffee farmers.
Responsible at Rast: Beatrice Rast (Management), Evelyne Rast (Management), Reto Buchli (Head of Sales); Responsible at Clou: Marcel Huwiler (Creation), Albi Christen (Strategy)
