Paulig Coffee has long been synonymous with Finland’s deep-rooted coffee culture—where terms like saunakahvi and vaalikahvit are part of everyday life, and each cup serves as a meaningful pause in a busy day.
With the highest per-capita coffee consumption in the world, Finnish coffee drinkers know their brew, and they expect it to taste great and do good. Enter the newly reimagined Paulig Mundo range: a sophisticated, ethically sourced lineup that unites passion for flavour, sustainable sourcing, and an artful design approach.
At the heart of this bold relaunch is Brandon Consultants, Paulig’s creative partner tasked with merging two distinct product lines—Origins and Mundo—into one seamless brand experience. Harnessing vibrant region-inspired visuals, playful animal motifs, and a dynamic on-pack architecture, Brandon has breathed new life into Paulig’s portfolio while honouring the heritage that makes Finland’s coffee scene so unique.
In today’s interview, Laura Branton, Account Director at Brandon Consultants, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process: from combining the best of both product ranges to unveiling a new identity that resonates with devoted Paulig fans and entices fresh audiences to discover ethically sourced, full-flavoured coffee at its finest.
What was the brief for the rebrand?
In response to evolving consumer needs, Paulig Coffee tasked us with merging its much-loved Origins and Mundo ranges into a single, stronger product line that reflects its values of sustainability, ethical sourcing, and rich flavour.
Describe the purpose of the brand and its target audience
In Finland, where coffee consumption is a way of life and part of the national culture, this new range speaks directly to the Finnish passion for coffee. The Finns drink more coffee per capita than any other nation — on average 12kg per year.
Coffee isn’t just a drink; it’s a moment, an experience, and even has its own lexicon, with terms like saunakahvi (sauna coffee) and vaalikahvit (election coffee). Paulig’s new range helps cater to these moments, offering diverse, high-quality coffee to suit individual needs and occasions.
The Mundo range offers bold and sophisticated coffees to those looking for a sustainable option that both tastes good and does good. The Mundo range drives Paulig Group’s sustainability agenda, crafted for coffee lovers who seek refined, ethical, and flavorful experiences while making responsible choices for the planet.
Did you learn anything new during the project?
Blending two distinct product ranges is always challenging. The key is finding a way to keep existing consumers engaged, while also evolving the offering to attract new audiences.
What made this project unique was the opportunity to craft unique approaches for each range, leveraging their distinct assets to complement each other. It’s not a scenario we come across often, it really reinforced the importance of strategic creativity in creating a seamless yet dynamic brand experience.
What details are you most proud of any why?
It’s the first time we’ve been asked to make a giraffe smile and to make a Honduran bear look playful. Bringing personality and a feel-good factor to our much-loved Mundo creatures was a joy for the whole team!
Building a world for our creatures to live in also added depth to the pack, our window into their world, which we hope consumers
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
We’re hopeful this new and engaging design will attract new consumers to try the range. This is feel-good coffee for feel-good moments, which we hope new and existing consumers will want to experience.
Can you discuss any innovative or unconventional approaches you took in developing the rebranding solution?
This project was a milestone for us - it was one of the first where we fully embraced AI as a creative partner. Using AI allowed us to explore and develop complex, highly detailed imagery with a level of efficiency that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
The key was ensuring it was a tool in the hands of our talented team, not a replacement for their creativity. It streamlined the process and opened up new possibilities, enabling us to push the boundaries of what we could deliver for the rebrand.
Were there any unexpected insights or discoveries about the brand that emerged during the rebranding process?
As our partnership with the Paulig Coffee team deepened, we uncovered some truly fascinating insights into Finnish coffee culture and Paulig’s pivotal role within it. In Finland, when people think of coffee, they think of Paulig - it’s that deeply ingrained. This realisation was inspiring and humbling for our team.
It underscored the responsibility we had to honour the trust of such a passionate and discerning audience. It’s a privilege to work with a brand so deeply woven into the fabric of a nation’s daily life, and it pushed us to deliver a rebrand worthy of their legacy.
How did you ensure that the new brand identity resonated with the brand's existing audience while also attracting new ones?
We started by thoroughly analysing each range’s assets. We dug into what elements really connected with the audience and why, then explored ways to combine these on-pack in a way that felt fresh yet familiar.
The goal was to maintain recognisability while avoiding anything that might overwhelm or complicate the design. Consumer testing was a vital part of the process - it validated our concepts and gave us confidence that we’d struck the right balance.
Can you share any behind-the-scenes anecdotes or memorable moments from the rebranding project?
After the launch, we visited our client team in Helsinki and were completely taken aback when we walked into their stunning building to find our creatures decorated on the walls. It was surreal to see our immersive pack designs brought to life in such a grand, physical way, and I’m convinced I even caught the parrot winking at us!
Moments like that remind you of the magic of design and its ability to transcend formats.
Credit list for the work?
- Joe Bembridge – Design Director
- Charlie Hurst – Senior Designer
- Laura Branton – Account Director