Our client, Thodoris Kafadaris, began beekeeping as a hobby and out of admiration for bees. However, he eventually reached a point where he could produce three good quality honeys (including heather, thyme and orange honey). He thought about selling at markets and local delicatessen shops but wanted to do it right. So he turned to us for brand guidance, to provide him with a name and packaging design.

After an extensive research on bee’s lifecycle, biology and society, we stumbled upon something incredible: the average worker bee produces 1 gram of honey during its entire life! Which means it takes 12 bees their entire lives to make a teaspoon of honey. “12 bees” name also encompasses our client’s values and standards, including his close relationship and respect for bees as well as his decision to intentionally keep production low.

The logo comprises the combination of the brand’s name and a linear, minimal symbol of a bee flying over a spoon to indicate “12 bees’s” meaning. Through the packaging design we wanted to communicate the fact that the honey is minimally processed (raw). To that end we used elements such as raw jute and raw kraft paper tags. However, those elements together with the linear logo symbol and icons create a balanced composition that implies a raw yet good-quality honey.