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Channing and Company

Coffee Uplifts People

Brand Design Brand Design

Fulfilling the Promise of Coffee:
Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) - Brand Design

Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) has an ambitious vision to fulfill the uplifting promise of coffee within every touchpoint – from crop to CUP!

Coffee Uplifts People is the brand's name and its mission. Creating economic upliftment and opportunity is at the heart of CUP's D.I.R.E. commitment to bringing Diversity, Inclusion, Representation, Equity to the coffee industry which remains overwhelmingly non-inclusive. From producers to importers, roasters, baristas, and consumers, CUP is fulfilling the promise of coffee at every step.

Channing & Company partnered closely with CUP’s founders, shaping the brand’s strategy and expression from the ground up. From naming and brand positioning to product design and visual identity, Channing’s comprehensive approach ensured that CUP’s mission of economic empowerment and inclusion was woven into every detail.

Through in-depth research, it became clear that CUP needed to go beyond the typical Fair Trade model, focusing instead on true economic empowerment at every stage of the supply chain. Channing’s creative process encompassed everything from tone of voice to logo design, packaging, and digital experience, giving CUP the clarity, confidence, and resilience it needed to resonate with its target audience and stand out in a crowded market.

The story is in the CUP! The CUP logomark, a symbolic toast between two coffee cups, captures the essence of upliftment, while the U-bean represents the human-centered stories behind every cup. With a 100% commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, Representation, and Equity (D.I.R.E.), CUP is transforming the coffee industry, ensuring every step—from producers to consumers—fulfills coffee’s true promise.

Something's different about this CUP!

Discipline

Brand Strategy
Naming
Identity
Art Direction
Retail & Environments
Products & Packaging
Campaigns
Experience & Community

Team

Channing & Company
Channing Bailey, Brand Designer

Challenge

A DIRE problem: Coffee's Stained History

We represent a significant point in the coffee industry's evolution and transparency of its origins. With a name like Coffee Uplifts People, we speak more to coffee's promise than its legacy.

With a slave-built economy stains coffee's history, coffee’s stained history is riddled with everything but upliftment. From a checkered history of trade exploitation to a more recent symbol for the gentrification of inner-city American neighborhoods, the narrative around the coffee cherry, which we commercially prize for its bean, has come a long way from its beautiful origins in Ethiopia.

Coffee has the inherent power to bring people together, and it has been enjoyed and consumed by people all over the world, from all walks of life, for millennia. Coffee, the second-largest commodity in the world, operates within a vast and intricate supply chain that spans continents and cultures. However, despite its global reach, the coffee industry remains marked by significant disparities, particularly in terms of equity and representation.

From the farmers who cultivate the raw beans to the workers who process and distribute them, there is a striking lack of diversity, representation, inclusion, and equity throughout the supply chain. This disproportionality often results in marginalized communities, particularly those of color, being underrepresented and undercompensated for their labor.

Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) is committed to disrupting the status quo. From the CUP pledges to diversify our supply chain from Crop to CUP.

The challenge lies in building and effectively communicating this DIRE commitment to a diverse, socially conscious audience, ensuring that every cup of coffee tells a story of empowerment and social justice.

strategy

Coffee Uplifts People has an ambitious vision to fulfill the promise of coffee. From producers to importers, roasters, baristas, and consumers, CUP is fulfilling the promise of coffee at every touchpoint — crop to CUP!

100% Diverse Supply Chain from Crop to CUP

Creating economic upliftment and opportunity is at the heart of CUP's mission to bring a DIRE Commitment (Diversity, Inclusion, Representation, Equity) to the coffee industry, which remains overwhelmingly non-inclusive. Coffee Uplifts People is the brand's name and mission.

CUP is not just another coffee brand; it is a movement rooted in a 100% DIRE-focused supply chain, crafted with meticulous care to uplift every individual involved, from farmers and producers to baristas and consumers. CUP's supply chain is as diverse, inclusive, and equitable as the communities we serve.

From the very origin of the crop to the moment it reaches your cup, CUP is dedicated to ensuring that every link in the chain reflects our values of upliftment and empowerment. We are not just diversifying our supply chain; we are transforming it into a model of equity and representation, where everyone involved in the journey of coffee benefits and thrives.

Something's Different about this CUP

The future of coffee is one of 360 degree consciousness and 100% quality and sustainability. We are at our best when we’re unafraid to disrupt for good. It is at this point of said disruption where pathways to inclusion, education and innovation exist thru culturally enhancing and service driven experiences.

CUP fulfills the promise of coffee at every touchpoint—from producers to importers, roasters, baristas, and consumers. The future of coffee, as envisioned by CUP, is one of holistic consciousness, where 100% quality and sustainability are the standards. We are boldly disrupting the status quo for the greater good, creating pathways to inclusion, education, and innovation through culturally enriching and service-driven experiences.

This is how Coffee Uplifts People—by ensuring that every CUP tells a story of transformation, equity, and positive change.

solution

Coffee Uplifts People is the brand's name and mission.

Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) is both our brand name and our mission. We represent a pivotal moment in the coffee industry’s evolution, striving for transparency and accountability in an industry that has often overlooked its origins. With a name like Coffee Uplifts People, our focus is clear: we are dedicated to fulfilling coffee’s promise of connection and empowerment, rather than dwelling on its complicated legacy.

Our commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, Representation, and Equity (DIRE) drives us to equitably integrate women and people of color (POC) into every aspect of our brand—from our founders and supply chain to our purveyors, contractors, and collaborators. The coffee industry is in need of DIRE change, this is the promise of coffee CUP is determined to fulfill.

Our strategy led us to a powerful realization: the story is in the CUP. The Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) logomark, featuring a symbolic toast between two coffee cups, visually encapsulates the essence of upliftment. At the heart of this design is the U-bean, representing the human-centered stories that CUP seeks to highlight with every cup of coffee. This logomark is not just a symbol; it is a testament to our dedication to connecting people, empowering communities, and celebrating the shared experiences that coffee fosters.

At the heart of this design is the U-bean, representing the human-centered stories that CUP seeks to highlight with every cup of coffee. This logomark is not just a symbol; it is a testament to our dedication to connecting people, empowering communities, and celebrating the shared experiences that coffee fosters.

Crafting Upliftment: How Channing & Company Designed Coffee Uplifts People

Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) is on a mission to redefine what it means to be a coffee brand in an industry shadowed by a history of exploitation and inequality. CUP’s commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, Representation, and Equity (DIRE) is at the core of its identity, guiding the brand in transforming coffee’s narrative into one of empowerment and upliftment.

The story is in the CUP. The CUP logomark, featuring a symbolic toast between two coffee cups, visually encapsulates the essence of upliftment. At the heart of this design is the U-bean, representing the human-centered stories that CUP seeks to highlight with every cup of coffee. This logomark is not just a symbol; it is a testament to our dedication to connecting people, empowering communities, and celebrating the shared experiences that coffee fosters.

The Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) logomark is a symbolic toast between two cups of coffee, illustrating upliftment. The U-bean is at the core, signifying the human-centered mission CUP illuminates. The story is in the CUP!

Unlocking the promise of coffee from crop to CUP!

Equitably integrating Women and People of Color (POC) into every facet of our brand from Founders and Supply Chain to our purveyors, contractors and collaborators.

CUP infuses each bean with empowerment—this is how Coffee Uplifts People.

"Channing and his team nailed it! They perfectly captured the essence of CUP!"
—
Angela Yee, Co-founder

We tell human centered stories in coffee

At the heart of this design is the U-bean, representing the human-centered stories that CUP seeks to highlight with every cup of coffee.

This logomark is not just a symbol; it is a testament to our dedication to connecting people, empowering communities, and celebrating the shared experiences that coffee fosters.

At the heart of this design is the U-bean, representing the human-centered stories that CUP seeks to highlight with every cup of coffee.

The CUP monogram is not just a symbol; it is a testament to our dedication to connecting people, empowering communities, and celebrating the shared experiences that coffee fosters.​

After
Before

Coffee Uplifts People has an ambitious vision to fulfill the promise of coffee. From producers to importers, roasters, baristas, and consumers, CUP is fulfilling the promise of coffee at every touchpoint.

Unlocking the promise of coffee from crop to CUP!

Testimonials

This is the best logo I've ever seen!
-
Ty-Ty Smith (Roc Nation, Cofounder)

Channing and his team nailed it! They perfectly captured the essence of CUP!

-Angela Yee (Founder)

CUP in the Press

We helped transform Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) into a beloved Brooklyn hotspot, where coffee meets community in the most uplifting way. With the dynamic voice of founder Angela Yee leading the charge, CUP’s message has spread like wildfire, rallying everyone who believes in the transformative power of coffee. This dynamic brand has captured the attention of the press, spotlighting CUP as a beacon of diversity, inclusion, and empowerment in the coffee industry.​

BRAND STRATEGY: CUP BRAND DESIGN PILLARS
BRAND DESIGN BY CHANNING BAILEY
01

DIRE
Global Sourcing

We source our beans globally in accordance with our DIRE Principles: Diversity, Inclusion, Representation, Equity.

Equitably integrating Women and People of Color (POC) into every facet of our brand from Founders and Supply Chain to our purveyors, contractors and collaborators. The coffee industry is in need of DIRE change, this is the promise of coffee.

02 02

Elevated Service
and Design

Intelligent and immersive design paired with unmatched intuitive service for the post-pandemic, flex space workforce. We are a storytelling brand anchored in aspirational design and modern functionality.

A Post-Pandemic mainstay, we are preferred by the flexible work, digitally connected professional. The “NEW Second Place” is inhabited by the modern millennial and rising Gen-Z professional, a post pandemic work/social hub.

03 03

Culture &
Lifestyle

Neither bohemian nor pretentious, CUP usher in a pop-culture friendly and tech savvy coffee rooted experience designed for the modern influencer and professional agent of change.

Never before seen cultural integration infused into our menu, sensory stimulating experience or lifestyle merch offer brief excursions to the worldly cultures of various coffee origins. Something’s different about this CUP!

Coffee Uplifts People partners with complimentary, highly-respected lifestyle brands to create premium experiences.

Next CUP Presents RUN x Adidas Runners: Uplifting Neighborhoods Through Fitness and Community
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