Baianí is a chocolate producer based in Bahia, Brazil. Their chocolate is the “tree to bar” kind, which means they are in charge of the entire production line: from planting, harvesting and processing their cacao to shaping the chocolate bars. This is a huge deal in the chocolate market and very few of the chocolate bars you see on the shelves have that story to tell.
Baiani founders, Tuta and Juliana Aquino, have their own cacao farms in a special place in Bahia called Vale Potumuju. They make sure to get involved personally in every step of the chocolate production and give it the best possible outcome.
In 2017 we took part on Baianí’s very first branding and packaging process, which set a big part of the iconic look for which they are known today. Growing fast, they realized that the original packaging, meant for very small batches, would need changes. Add to that a lot of new lessons learned and on we went to reposition the brand.
Packaging was the main concern. They've added several new flavors to their portfolio and had to accommodate these new products within their packaging system. Juliana and Tuta wished to make visually clear for the customer that their chocolate is crafted with care at every single step, carries the region’s tradition and have the highest quality.
Some technical aspects were also in play, such as the size of the bars – that just got bigger – and the amount of information they needed to make clear for the end customer. The type of chocolate, kind of infusion (if applicable), roasting process, cacao’s origin and percentage at the bar were the features to be highlighted on the packaging.
The visual output for all of this is one that combines appealing graphics to a well crafted hierarchy of information.
We looked in Juliana and Tuta’s connection with Bahia to develop visual patterns that connect to the brand’s heritage but avoid the risk of becoming a regionalist cliché. The colors have now an important role on defining what kind of chocolate they represent.
We are confident to say that Baianí’s new packages are easy to navigate and look just as tasty as the chocolate bars they contain.
Credits:
Creative Direction
Rodrigo Saiani
Design Direction
Ana Laura Ferraz
Packaging
Aline Caruso, Ana Laura Ferraz, Carlos Mignot, Gabriel Mesoma, Rodrigo Saiani and Valter Costa
Strategy
Aline Caruso, Ana Laura Ferraz, Carlos Mignot, Felipe Casaprima, Flora de Carvalho, Gabriel Mesoma, Lucas Campoi, Rodrigo Saiani and Valter Costa
Graphic Design
Aline Caruso, Ana Laura Ferraz, Carlos Mignot, Felipe Casaprima, Flora de Carvalho, Gabriela Fiks, Gabriel Mesoma, Lucas Campoi, Rodrigo Saiani and Valter Costa
Photography
Maná Foto Coletivo e Giulia Ribeiro
