BrandOpus Redesigns Swedish Coffee Brand Gevalia

With more folks looking to bring the coffee shop experience into their own home, consumers are turning away from the more mainstream coffee brands that dominate the supermarket shelves and are opting for something more premium. Looking to capitalize on this shift, coffee brand Gevalia is rolling out a new look in grocery stores this month.

To reinvigorate the coffee brand, Kraft Heinz turned to creative agency BrandOpus for a top-to-bottom rebrand. While they kept the traditional yellow of the packaging, much of the visual identity has changed. It’s not as drastic as J.J. Abrams remaking iconic Swedish director Ingmar Bergman’s Persona, but it’s definitely a controlled burn.

BrandOpus did this by looking back to the beloved brand’s Swedish roots and leaning into its heritage. Packaging assets like the crown and have been reworked into a more stately affair, while the brand name has gone from all uppercase letters to lowercase. The agency decided on this because it helps with the pronunciation—after all, Gevalia gets a soft “g” sound. The typography also takes on a more Scandinavia aesthetic, and they ditch the patterned coffee cup from the previous iteration. Now, an aroma swirl rises from the logomark, adding a visual connotation associated with flavor and even a little sensorial ambiance.

“We wanted to establish a narrative that felt more attitudinal and less product-benefit focused. The new look and feel go against category norms that focus on caffeine fuel benefits or standard taste messaging. It's an evolution that feels more artistic, expressive, and accessible – speaking to coffee drinkers today and coffee drinkers to come," said Paul Taylor, chief creative officer and founding partner of BrandOpus, in a press release.

“In realizing a huge growth opportunity in the premium coffee market, we were looking for an agency who could strengthen our existing equities while bringing new and distinctive meaning to Gevalia,” said Tom Merriman, Gevalia senior brand manager, in the same press release. 

“We’re excited to see the modernized aesthetic hit shelves and break through in a competitive category,” he added.