CHALLENGE
Even prior to the pandemic, Ethiopian cafe Amen Coffee & Juice struggled to bring people in the door.
Many neighbors were confused by the name of the business, and weren’t aware that the business sold breakfast and lunch, in addition to juices, smoothies, and traditional Ethiopian coffee. When COVID-19 hit and foot traffic halted, sales plummeted.
SOLUTION
To better convey the full scope of the Amen Coffee & Juice operation, we proposed a rebrand.
To get the ball rolling, we started with the name. Upon meeting with Yerom Gebremichael, owner of the business, we learned that “Amen” is the name of her youngest child. At the time of our rebrand, five-year-old Amen was already eager to help mom around the shop and spent most of his time behind the coffee counter with Yerom. Family is a central aspect of Yerom’s business, as she incorporates family recipes and traditional Ethiopian roasting and brewing techniques into the menu. We advised Yerom to drop the “Coffee & Juice” and adopt a new name: Amen Cafe.
To accompany the new name, Amen Cafe needed a whole new image, with a major emphasis on Yerom’s breakfast and lunch offerings, and Ethiopian background.
When designing the logo, we drew inspiration from Ethiopian artwork and architecture, the Ethiopian flag, and Amharic script.
To populate Amen Cafe’s website, social media, and print materials, we staged a photo shoot in the shop. We wanted the photos to welcome you in, as though Yerom herself had set the table just for you.
The resulting images let the food speak for itself with bold, contrasting colors and textures.
When building out the website, we placed Yerom’s dishes front and center. The website has Amen Cafe’s full menu, photos of a variety of dishes and drinks, and information about the traditional Ethiopian coffee roasting and brewing process. On the landing page, we also featured a profile on Yerom, who is truly the heart and soul of Amen Cafe.
There was no room in the budget to replace Amen Cafe’s old sign, so to showcase the cafe’s dishes and new brand, we developed a printed sandwich board to be placed on the sidewalk outside of the business. The sandwich board heavily features photos of the breakfast and lunch offerings.
Finally, to accompany the full rebrand, we established social media profiles, developed a batch of social media content, and created a direct mailer with a 10% coupon to be delivered to nearby neighbors.
RESULTS
A fresh name and brand image, as well as intentional outreach to potential customers has breathed new life into Amen Cafe.
With an eye-catching sandwich board welcoming passersby in, hundreds of mailers distributed to neighbors, a fresh website and social media presence, Amen Cafe has seen an uptick in sales. In a message to Megan Flynn Marketing, Yerom expressed, “Thanks to you we’re good. Thank God.”
Comments on Amen Cafe’s Instagram reflect neighbors’ excitement around having a nearby breakfast and lunch spot. “Your food looks good!” | “Love this 😍😍” | “Yum!!!!” | “Wow😍😍”
In a time when many businesses were forced to close their doors for good, Amen Cafe was able to survive and thrive through the pandemic.
