The founders of Man Cave Craft Meats, Nick and Josh Beste, were university students when they launched their business, by crafting innovative flavor combinations with an obsessive focus on quality. Man Cave Craft Meats offered creative combinations that were not only unique, but also appealed to those consumers seeking new flavor experiences. And so, by popular demand, Man Cave Craft Meats asked CBX to help them move their brand from the tent of the Minneapolis Farmers Market to grocery stores across the country.

The challenge was to build the brand identity by creating provocative packaging that disrupts the meat retail category, elevating its product, driving sales, and proudly shouting out to discerning craft meat-lovers everywhere, “we have arrived.” CBX developed unique designs that truly spoke to a specific audience; one that loved craft meat. Through our strategic research, we uncovered that these consumers are a tribe who respond to an authentic, bold brand personality. They don’t do ‘generic’. Therefore, we developed designs that were reminiscent of the artisanal world of craft beer with its small batch authentic quality, and masculine, honest irreverence.

The packaging was not designed to appeal to everybody. The core customer is an unpretentious foodie, so we created a red-blooded brand aesthetic that incorporated a strong black canvas, handcrafted typography, and images of burly bearded men with tattoos, commanding taglines as robust as their flavors, such as: “Long live the butcher!” All elements played their part in creating a perfect identity and supporting the brand’s mission. In less than a year, the brand grew from zero to more than 500 stores, with even more aggressive rollout plans for the future. Man Cave Craft Meats expects sales of $5 to $8 million dollars in the first year alone, but still measures success by ensuring ultimate consumer satisfaction with every premium meaty bite.