Elevating origin into a premium category
Client • Aroco
Year • 2025
Role • Creative Director
Scope • Brand Development, Asset Creation & Packaging Design
Rebranding a cacao company for the premium market
Executive Summary
Aroco is a Colombian fine-flavour cacao company seeking to transition from a commodity-driven supplier into a premium origin brand.
Challenge
Most cacao producers compete primarily on price, leaving little room for differentiation despite significant differences in quality and sustainability practices.
Responsibilities
I led the strategic repositioning and visual rebranding to support this shift, defining the brand’s vision, values, positioning, and identity system.
Objective
Reposition Aroco as a premium origin brand attractive to high-end chocolate makers, food brands, and conscious consumers.
Strategic Foundation
Starting Point
Aroco already had foundational visual elements such as logos, colors, and typography, but these were not yet unified within a coherent brand system. As a result, materials like the website and brochures appeared individually crafted and functional, yet lacked consistent guidelines and a structured application that would build stronger trust and recognition.
Defining vision, mission, principles, and values
I led through countless workshops with the main stakeholders in Aroco defining why the company exists and where it wants to go. This served as the very foundation to rebuild the brand.
Positioning
Instead of positioning as a luxury brand detached from agriculture, Aroco was positioned as a credible premium origin brand rooted in expertise and land stewardship.
→ Traceability
→ Regenerative agriculture
→ Product excellence
Audience
→ Premium retail partners
→ Chocolate manufacturers
→ Culinary professionals
Decision Framework
Translating strategy into a consistent brand system
Imagery
In order to maintain a high-quality appearance while remaining authentic, the images must show the unprocessed product in its environment in a clear, calm, and high-quality setting. Depth of field and a focus object without too much distraction in the background are crucial.
Reduce uncertainty, accelerate commitment.
Challenge
Instead of presenting brand storytelling, the platform must help buyers quickly assess whether Aroco is a reliable long-term partner for their sourcing needs.
Trust before persuasion
B2B buyers prioritize operational certainty over emotional appeal. The platform focuses on credibility signals that demonstrate production capability, traceability, and long-term reliability before highlighting brand narrative.
→ Clear origin and sourcing transparency
→ Production capacity and consistency indicators
→ Certifications and regulatory readiness
→ Structured product specifications
Filter and quickly find the desired product and volume.
No conversion without sufficient information to gain trust.
Outcome, Learnings & Reflection
Outcome
Transition from supplier perception to origin brand credibility
Cohesive identity across product, packaging, and trade touchpoints
Scalable system supporting international growth
Strengthened trust signals for professional buyers
What I would do differently next time
Conduct earlier large-scale market validation
Invest sooner in performance marketing testing
Explore strategic retail partnerships alongside DTC
Key learnings
Repositioning a commodity-linked business requires aligning brand narrative with operational reality.
In saturated markets, provenance and traceability can function as stronger differentiators than traditional premium cues.
A robust identity system enables consistent communication across diverse B2B and consumer contexts, ensuring long-term brand equity.
Professional buyers respond to clarity, structure, and information depth rather than emotional persuasion.
Effective rebranding in agriculture-linked industries requires coordination between branding, production, logistics, and regulatory considerations.