Challenge
- The coffee market had become (and continues to become) more and more fragmented by start-up roasters seeking different and unique speciality coffees, disrupting the category.
- DRWakefield needed to adapt to the shift in coffee culture – new independent coffee bars who buy selectively and no longer just commodity buyers.
- DRWakefield wanted to develop a marketing strategy to deliver to the established traditional commodity buyers, yet also drive strong engagement with smaller roasters to harness growth in the market.
Solution
- Create a brand that was differentiated from the competition and more in-tune with the current coffee culture.
- Relaunch the DRW web presence to meet this younger, more demanding, audience’s expectations.
- Leverage the expertise, knowledge and quality standards of DRWakefield through an integrated marketing strategy engaging growers and roasters alike.
Result
- Established DRWakefield as the ‘one-stop, global, green coffee experts’.
- Contributed to annual revenue growth of 12% Year On Year since 2011.
- Leveraged a strong brand presence with key market influencers such as the Soil Association, Fairtrade and the Rainforest Alliance as well as farmers in origin.
Simon Wakefield, Business Owner and Managing Director
