The Company
Seed Ranch Flavor Co. produces small-batch hot sauces with “farm-to-bottle” plant-based ingredients. They win foodies over with thoughtful, bold, and innovative flavor combinations.
I joined SRFC during their farmers market beginnings in Boulder, CO. While the sauces had consistently won over taste buds, they were entering into retail and competing in a saturated and fast-growing market. Standing out required a clear identity, a consistent voice, and smart positioning.
The Work
Farmers markets gave us plenty of real-time feedback from early customers. This allowed us to rapidly iterate on messaging and brand visuals from the start. These interactions revealed our target customers. In retail, we took stock of our competitors on the shelf. We were met with fire-breathing mascots and gimmicky spice puns.
“Creativity loves constraints” sums up how this brand found its visual identity. The founder wanted minimalist bottle labels to reflect the clean recipes–a nice contrast to the bolder look of most hot sauces. But we still needed a hook to draw shoppers in.
At in-person markets, I started sketching simple ingredient drawings on butcher paper we used as a tablecloth. These line illustrations, paired with key flavor notes, sat in front of each sauce. They were low-budget but eye-catching, and they got people to stop and ask questions.
After the drawings took off, I brought them into other parts of the brand: bottle labels, packaging tape, and the website. To make the “ranch” in the name feel real, I designed a visual setting that grounded the brand in a specific place. That ranch identity showed up across packaging, postcards, banners, and our digital storefronts.
As we kept refining the look, the brand’s personality became clearer: Seed Ranch Flavor Co. stood for authenticity, quality, and flavor-forward experimentation. The hand-drawn, no-frills design let the sauces speak for themselves through color, texture, and taste.
Working with lean resources, we leaned into what made SRFC special. We prioritized exceptional customer service, flavor inspiration, and continued innovation. Much of our effort went into nurturing our most loyal customers–because word of mouth brought the strongest return. These efforts led to a members-only series of limited-release products, supported by coordinated campaigns across social, email, and snail mail that included stories, recipes, and education.
Seed Ranch has grown a loyal and vocal community of foodies, as is reflected online in strong ratings across sites like Amazon and Faire, numerous YouTube reviews, discussions on Reddit. You can even see SRFC sauces featured on the hit celebrity interview show, Hot Ones!
