It's a Dog's Life for Equator at Waitrose
Retail brand and packaging specialist Equator has been let off the leash to create a new brand of premium cat and dog foods exclusively for Waitrose, made from a selection of natural ingredients sourced in the UK.
Over six months in development, Equator created the strategy, brand name, visual identity and packaging for the 'Mill Stream Farm' range which launches nationwide this month. Food and treats for cats and dogs are worth £1.6bn in multiple grocery with premium products showing the strongest growth. Naturally sourced, premium cat and dog foods are a relatively new category with Waitrose believed to be one of the first major supermarkets to offer an exclusive range.
Equator created the brand and its packaging to make 'Mill Stream Farm' readily identifiable as a premium proposition. By using natural queues such as farm buildings, rural settings and friendly pets in an illustrative style the aim is to reinforce brand benefits of nutritious and healthy dried, complete food made from quality natural ingredients produced and packaged in Norfolk.
Creative Director Howard Wright said: "Mill Stream Farm is aimed at pet lovers of all ages wanting to give their loved family member the best food and nutrition from natural sources - these are people who are concerned about the quality and provenance of the food they feed their pets (1 - see notes to editors).
"We wanted to give Mill Stream Farm a strong presence on shelf and to stand out as a quality natural pet food range so we've aimed to convey ideas of trust, care and ethical sourcing as well as nutrition and great taste from a mix of ingredients including chicken, salmon, vegetables and herbs."
As well as the Mill Street Farm brand name Equator developed the design and packaging for the entire range. With nine products available initially, cat and dog foods are readily distinguishable with products designed for younger and older pets in various sizes from 800g to 6kg packaged in flat-bottomed bags.
Notes to Editors
1. The term "natural" should be used only to describe pet food components (derived from plant, animal, micro-organism or minerals) to which nothing has been added and which have been subjected only to such physical processing as to make them suitable for pet food production and maintaining the natural composition. (source of description?)
2. Equator Design is a global retail brand and packaging design group with UK offices in Nottingham, Manchester and Dublin; US offices in Batavia and Chicago; Far East offices in Shenzen, China; and Australian offices in Sydney.
3. Equator Design Nottingham is based at 33 Pilcher Gate, The Lace Market, Nottingham, NG1 1QE.
