What it’s like to work with Americano
The key to creating a thriving craft liquor brand, whether from the start or as an established brand, is having a creative partner who is deeply familiar with the craft spirits industry, has a proven process, and can translate your vision for the masses. Think of your creative partner as a guide and friend who knows the path from concept to shelf, inside and out, and is there to show you the way. We’ll break down the experience of working with Americano, when the best time to get a creative partner is, and some of the various tasks you can delegate to us.
What is it like to work with a creative partner?
Having a creative partner is like having a team of experts in your back pocket, ready for anything. You can text, call, or email us when you have an idea, and we get to work. It is by no means our first rodeo; we can make suggestions, ask the right questions, and know precisely what is needed to get the job done.
All of your creative projects, shy of sourcing or distilling the product and any legal compliance (although we have vetted contacts who can do both and can make introductions), are centralized through your dedicated Americano Project Manager. When you’re an Americano member, you can email, call, or text your Project Manager and immediately get any new project going. When it’s time to review and approve the work or give feedback, your Project Manager will talk you through it and organize everything for you.
Although a creative partner can create one-off projects, like a label design, our wide range of capabilities makes us the perfect long-term partner. Our clients bring us an idea for a brand they want to launch, and we get to work, from designing the brand identity to sourcing the best options for glass bottles and caps. We’re deeply dedicated to your success, which is evident in our average client lifespan of six years.
When should a new craft liquor brand reach out to Americano?
The short answer: Post-idea, pre-funding.
The long answer: In the past, our clients have reached out to us as soon as they had an idea for a craft liquor brand, and we’ve helped them prepare the necessary assets to fundraise. Typically, a new craft liquor brand should reach out to us once they have a concept and a plan for securing funds for their project.
The Americano Process for New Craft Liquor Brands
Once your Americano membership is approved and activated, our proven process allows us to create unique craft liquor brands quickly and efficiently without sacrificing quality or concepts.
Step 1: The Creative Brief
We work with you to fully understand your idea and vision. Once we do, we use our expertise to formulate options for viable creative directions based on our industry insight and market experience. When we work together over time, this step can get shorter and shorter for projects outside of branding because of how well we get to know your preferences.
Step 2: Design
For each creative direction, we show multiple options so you can visualize your brand as a finished product.
Step 3: Testing
We use our proprietary methods of testing our creative work to ensure not only does it look good, but it achieves the goals you set out to meet. This gives our clients the peace of mind that they made the right decision in the early design stages, even if they’re not naturally creative.
Step 4: Refining
We compile all the feedback from our design and testing stages to fully refine your brand. This includes creating all your sales and marketing materials so that your brand is ready to launch and no detail is overlooked.
Step 5: Printing & Sourcing
Because of our many years of experience and forged relationships with dry goods vendors, we can help you find the best glass, caps, labels, and shipping boxes for your brand at the best possible prices that fit within your timeline. We follow the shipping timelines and ensure you have everything ready for your first bottling.
Step 6: Ongoing Design
Each brand is different, but typically, our clients continue to work with us after a brand has launched. We create everything, including (but not limited to) social media content & strategies, marketing materials & strategies, PR kits, sales collateral, and sometimes even customized labels for single barrels. As we know your brand inside and out at this point, we learn your preferences and are able to shorten the design process significantly.
In total, having a creative partner who knows your brand inside and out and continues to grow with you has been the key to success for many craft spirit entrepreneurs and distilleries.
“The Americano team is responsive and great to work with! A great cultural fit and an understanding of our needs. If they needed more clarity, they were unafraid to ask for it because getting it right was important. Pivoting when things changed was also great, as they were able to do so in a timely manner. Americano responded well to feedback and was flexible with changes that sometimes were challenging. Their team is great. I could not be working with a better group of individuals who truly want my business to succeed.”
—Terri Lam, Founder of T.Lam & Sons
When should an existing craft liquor brand reach out to Americano?
The short answer: As soon as possible.
The long answer: It’s never too late for an existing brand to re-evaluate its creative needs or engage with a new creative partner. Typically, existing brands and distilleries come to us with one-off projects, and we enjoy working with them so much that we become their go-to creative partner for all their future creative needs.
The Americano Process for Existing Craft Liquor Brands
Once your Americano membership is approved and activated, our proven process allows us to start organizing and addressing your creative needs quickly and efficiently without sacrificing quality and meeting all of your timelines.
Step 1: Brand Onboarding
We start researching and having in-depth conversations with you to fully understand your brand and vision inside and out. We then dedicate one of our internal teams to your brand to plan and execute your creative needs quickly and thoroughly.
Step 2: Design
For each creative task, we show multiple options so you can visualize your project as a finished product.
Step 3: Testing
While testing varies for different projects, we can use our proprietary methods of testing our creative work to ensure that it not only looks good but also achieves the goals you set out to meet. This gives our clients the peace of mind that the creative work they give us achieves the goal to its fullest, even if they’re not naturally creative.
Step 4: Refining
We compile all the feedback from our design and testing stages to fully refine your project into the final product. This includes anything from preparing files for a printer to creating new projects for items you’ll need in the near future. We’re also experts in more client-friendly formats and can turn your project into an editable template in a more familiar format for you or your team.
Step 5: Printing & Sourcing
Because of our many years of experience and vetted relationships with the best dry goods vendors, we’re able to help you find the best source for glass, caps, labels, PR boxes, and shipping boxes for your brand at the best possible prices that fit within your timeline. We follow the shipping timelines and ensure you have everything for your first bottling.
Step 6: Ongoing Design
Each brand requires different ongoing design needs. We create everything, including (but not limited to) social media content & strategies, marketing materials & strategies, PR kits, sales collateral, and sometimes even customized labels for single barrels.
Having a creative partner to whom you can delegate your creative tasks has been the key to success for many craft spirit entrepreneurs and distilleries who lack the resources and need to delegate to an expert without the headache of hiring and training internally.
“Americano has been a hugely valuable asset for a new project we are building in the beverage alcohol space—serving as a creative partner across the range of market research, solid insights into the cultural design reference, and quality creative output most importantly. Would highly recommend working with them!”
— Pete Nevenglosky
Co-Founder & CEO at Avuá Cachaça, Rare Character Whiskey Co., Fortuna Bourbon, Svöl Aquavit, Drifter Spirits, and Drifter Craft Cocktails
Key Benefits of Working With Americano:
Deep expertise in the craft liquor industry
Extensive & vetted vendor network
Unique and proprietary method of testing creative work
Dedicated team specifically for your brand
Some of the tasks you can delegate to Americano:
Brand identity, strategy, & creative direction
Label design*
Bottle, cap, & box design*
Apparel, glassware, & merch design*
Sell sheets & one-pagers*
PR , sales, & influencer kits*
Event table design*
POS displays*
Presentations & brand portfolios
Shelf talkers*
Menus & tasting mats*
Printed marketing collateral (postcards, enamel pins, stickers, etc.)*
Digital marketing collateral (event invites, new market announcements, etc.)
Product photography
Social media content, strategies, and post/story scheduling
+ So much more; since we’ve been around for over a decade, there rarely is a new project we haven’t done before. It doesn’t hurt to reach out and ask to see if your project fits within our capabilities.
*These items are pieces we can source the product and print for and ship the finished product directly to you.
Americano’s expertise & proven ways make the creative output for craft liquor brands a smooth & efficient process. We’re just as dedicated to your success as you are and would be thrilled to have you as a member. To apply for membership, head over to our membership office to submit an application, and our concierge will reach out with the next steps.