Client

Great Lakes Coffee

Industry

Ask

Brand Awareness

The Challenge

How do you evolve a mission-driven Detroit coffee roaster into a unified brand across cafés, CPG, ecommerce, and big-box retail—without losing what made it special?

Great Lakes Coffee was already a local institution. Known for direct-trade sourcing, neighborhood cafés, and community roots. But as they expanded—six cafés, a growing online store, and product placement in retailers like Meijer and Kroger—they needed a brand strategy as thoughtful as their sourcing.

A brand that could live on the shelf, in your feed, and in your morning ritual.
Without becoming just another coffee company.

The Strategy

Create a brand anchored in authenticity. Grounded in values. Built to grow.

We developed a full brand platform around Stay Rooted—a simple, powerful call to remain grounded in what matters: the land, the farmers, the neighborhoods, and the people who keep it going.

From there, we unified every touchpoint—merging café culture with consumer packaging, local pride with national storytelling, and social content with shelf presence.

This wasn’t just about selling coffee. It was about elevating Great Lakes Coffee as a brand people wanted to live with.

The Execution

A fully integrated campaign across digital, retail, and real-world touchpoints:

  • Brand Identity + Tagline: “Stay Rooted” became the soul of the brand—guiding tone, visual direction, and storytelling across channels.
  • Website + Ecommerce: Built a new digital storefront to reflect both brand and function, optimized for online sales, subscriptions, and storytelling.
  • Packaging Design: Reimagined bags and retail assets with a bold, shelf-ready look—while keeping storytelling and sourcing details front and center.
  • Café Storytelling: Unified the vibe across all six Michigan locations with new in-store visuals, photography, and messaging rooted in place and people.
  • OOH Campaigns: Launched outdoor creative across Detroit and suburban markets to drive awareness and retail traffic.
  • Video Production: Shot brand anthem films and café lifestyle content highlighting everything from roasters to regulars.
  • Influencer + Social Media: Ran always-on organic and influencer-led content, growing followers and brand loyalty across Instagram and Facebook.
  • Photography: Built a full content library—featuring café environments, process imagery, product beauty shots, and people in their element.

The Results

  • Unified brand experience across cafés, ecommerce, and retail channels
  • Boosted ecommerce traffic and online subscriptions through storytelling and UX upgrades
  • Increased in-store and big-box sell-through with refreshed packaging and in-market campaigns
  • Earned thousands of new social followers and strong engagement with influencer collaborations
  • Positioned Great Lakes Coffee as a premium, purpose-driven brand without losing its Detroit roots

BOTTOM LINE

Great Lakes Coffee wasn’t just selling caffeine—it was rooted in something deeper. A commitment to community. A love for the craft. And a belief that coffee is more than a drink—it’s a daily ritual that connects us to where we are and who we’re with.
TMV helped bring that to life across every platform, product, and café.
Stay Rooted wasn’t just a tagline. It became a way of being.

Do you know what you provide?

Contact TMV Group to discuss how we can craft a winning strategy for your institution or business.