Franciscan Well, a prominent, historic and award-winning brewery based in Cork, Ireland, engaged Trinity to help reposition the storied brand to take full advantage of the explosive growth in the European craft beer market.

This eclectic brand had a wealth of craft credentials. It also had a fantastic story to tell of its location at a Franciscan monastery where, since the 17th century, friends would gather around the well to be refreshed, share tales of their journeys and enjoy each other’s company. It also

The brand team felt that existing packaging was not optimizing its visual equities to tell that story in a way that connected with craft beer consumers. They also desired a system that would be flexible enough to extend into a growing selection of seasonals and a separate tier of limited edition offerings.

Trinity Brand Group started by articulating a compelling story for the brand, then used that story to evolve the identity and redesign the package and system architecture to position Franciscan Well squarely in the craft drinker’s world and poised to develop loyal relationships that will continue as the brand and its offerings grow over time.

The new system is reinvigorated with an affable energy while remaining true to the brand’s rich heritage. The redesign transforms Franciscan Well into a welcoming and engaging brand by giving new life to the iconic friar. Through color, illustration and a subtle yet powerful change in his pose, he has evolved from a beloved ancient icon into the engaging, masterful storyteller of the brewery. Trinity also improved system flexibility and shop-ability in this very crowded craft beer retail environment by introducing much cleaner, bolder and more legible flavor descriptors.

By inviting consumers into the Franciscan Well experience – that of gathering, enjoying the “craic” and sharing good times, and great beer, with friends – craft lovers are now engaged in the kind of rapport with Franciscan Well that all craft beer brands dream of.

Our client could not have been more pleased. Hannah Davis, the Head of Craft Brands for Molson Coors Brewing Company in UK & Ireland observed “Trinity has a special touch building brand stories and translating them into powerful design. They developed a distinct personality for the brand that made it relevant to today’s consumers without losing its rich heritage.”