The rebranding effort included a new modern label that offered a canvas for designers to be playful. “We really wanted to play with the labels, to be able to complement each beer that we were making by having the whole canvas to work with and not really putting ourselves into a box with one specific design. We wanted to stand out,” said Darbyshire. Prior to the rebranding, most people recognized the beers without knowing the brewery. “Most people knew of our Angry Scotch Ale or the Blood Alley Bitter. But they probably couldn’t tell you which brewery made it. With our rebrand, we wanted to put Russell Brewing on the forefront of our branding so that the first thing you see is Russell. And the secondary thing you see is the imagery surrounding the Russell, bringing our name to the forefront and really getting our name back out there. We thought that would be the most effective way of garnering an audience again.”
Over the last five years, the changes have included taking more risks and moving from just a few core brands to launching over 36 new beers in 2019. “This year, we’re slated to launch probably 50 new beers. With competition, you have to adapt, and you have to change. The last four years have been about the evolution of the brand and trying to make a name for ourselves again.” “It’s definitely a different market now than it was then. We realized that in order to compete with the 200 plus breweries now in BC, we have to have that small microbrewery mentality where we can be creative and push the limits and try new things. Craft Beer has evolved, and the options are truly endless. We are fortunate to have Brewers that love their craft and are constantly test batching new beers,” said Darbyshire.
Darbyshire believes that having the right people in place and having a brewer who is knowledge- able and open to taking risks and challenging the status quo made the difference. “It’s an exciting time because we’re bringing in all these different elements from all these different industries and areas. And that’s scary for a brewery that has never done that. I’ve seen breweries take similar risks to what we’ve done, and they haven’t seen as much success. It’s a very difficult challenge.” “Today, I would say that we’re back to where we were back in 1995 - pushing the boundaries, taking risks and really being a trendsetter for those within the craft brewing industry,” said Darbyshire.
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JUNE 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2020
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