Alfresco

In a saturated market, repositioning Alfresco required crafting a distinct, compelling identity and digital presence rooted in its founders’ coastal upbringing and connection to nature. The aim was to elevate the brand beyond the quality of its product, without appearing overly polished or out of touch. A cohesive UX design that speaks to everyday coffee drinkers would need to balance personality and professionalism to maintain approachability. The site needed to handle a large volume of rotating inventory, support a seamless shopping experience, push subscriptions, share the Aflresco story, and detail the team’s initiatives while remaining grounded in the South Coast.

A complete overhaul of the existing brand and ecommerce experience was necessary to rebuild an authentic presence, drive subscriptions and generate wholesale leads. The new website combines education and ecommerce, stepping visitors through the bean-to-cup journey to communicate expertise and impact. Tracing key relationships across the globe, its content pinpoints the projects and initiatives in specific growing regions. Art direction grounds the UX in the coastal lifestyle, with imagery capturing relaxed moments between the surf. Doused in a retro colour palette, the design celebrates the brand’s longstanding ties to the Eurobodalla region.

Channelling Alfresco’s adventurous, outdoorsy spirit, the website tells a story of conscious and purposeful procurement, industry expertise and love for community. This fortified story builds loyalty and sets Alfresco apart from its competitors, particularly those with a surface-level presence in the market. Guided by a passion for sharing quality coffee, the brand is committed to improving farmers’ access to the resources needed to produce and receive a fair price for specialty-grade coffee. The website details their involvement and impact for increased transparency and customer engagement. Upbeat language strengthens the brand’s connection with customers.

The website balances storytelling and usability, giving equal weight to product, people, process and projects. It displays clear, accessible information regarding farmer support initiatives, sourcing processes, and roasting style, strengthening customer trust and engagement. Access to the self-managed customer portal has been seamlessly integrated into the site, inviting shoppers to manage their orders and sign up for a coffee subscription. A digital extension of the packaging, product listings utilise block colours and a taller, condensed typeface suited to product names of varying lengths. Colour-blocking as a graphic device is elevated by subtle hover effects and fluid animations mimicking the motion of coffee filling a cup to create a warm, immersive digital experience. The typographic system scales for various formats, from packaging and print to social and web, with a typographic treatment that overlays hard left and right, keeping each bag consistent. Naming and colours familiarise the user with the range in store or online. Together, these features create a consistent experience that reflects Alfresco’s values and supports both commercial and community outcomes.