Ah Cacao is a Mexican chocolate and coffee brand, with a range of tasty products sold in various retailers throughout Mexico and the US, and within their own chain of cafes on the Yucatan Peninsula. Ah Cacao has a strong point of difference in both Mexico and the US, because they source their cacao direct from local plantations and champion wildlife conservation in the region.

 We began by repositioning the Ah Cacao brand to better capture their unique offer, introducing a new identity and a more engaging, fun tone of voice. We then built the brand across their cafes and developed an efficient packaging system for their many products. The result is a relaxed and playful identity that captures the spirit of Ah Cacao with a nod to their rich Mayan chocolate making heritage.

 The new brand mark was designed to be warm, approachable and instantly recognisable. As café signage, this brand needed to play in the café space but also be clearly differentiated from the American chains it competes with in the resort towns of Mexico. The identity also extends to everything from Ah Cacao’s delivery vans to their website and social media, building brand awareness well beyond the cafes themselves.

 To bring order to Ah Cacao’s product range, we designed a flexible packaging system that works across a wide range of products and formats. Each chocolate bar features a distinct Mayan-inspired illustration of a native animal, making flavours easy to tell apart on shelf and motivating trial. The coffee bags have a similar aesthetic, with clear typography, origin details and native animal conservation messaging. Together, the range feels cohesive and playful, while the system allows new flavours and products to be added efficiently as Ah Cacao continues to grow.