Press release from Highland Brewing Co.:
When you’re the very first brewery in Asheville, NC — Beer City, USA — and your iconic logo has been around for 24 years and has successfully and exponentially grown your brewery’s business, why would you change? And how brave do you have to be in order to execute such a change?
“We’ve been refreshing our brand through our beer for over two years,” says Highland Brewing President Leah Wong Ashburn, referring to the company’s many new beers and the introduction of cans in the market. “Because we lead with beer. But in doing that, we created a divide between our beer and our brand. It’s time to close the divide.”
“So, we are focused on four concepts inherent in Highland: authenticity, pride in our Asheville home, consistently excellent beer, and leadership,” she continues. “We are Asheville’s Pioneers in Craft Beer.”
To bring the beer and brand together, Highland worked with Helms Workshop of Austin, TX, for six months of extensive research and development. The firm’s depth of experience in craft beer and working with heritage brands, along with a personal tie to the Asheville area, made the choice clear. The brewery will roll out an entirely new look in labeling, packaging, point of sale, marketing and even in the brewery’s tasting room. Highland Brewing Company will now sport imagery of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a bold and iconic pioneer’s compass and the clear messaging that Highland is Asheville’s first brewery.
The new look arrives in February 2018 and was forged under the leadership of an internal branding team, Marketing Manager Molly McQuillan, and Ashburn, the second-generation family owner who became Highland’s President in 2015. She assumed the role from her father, founder Oscar Wong, and she’s confidently leading the business into its next iteration, its next profile of consumer, and its next inventive level of making beer, including sours and a barrel-aged beer program.
“We are authentic when our actions align with our words,” she says. “And when our brand aligns with our beers. We are so much more than Dad envisioned in 1994 and with this work we state who we are today. This refreshed brand shares a clear message – it honors the path we created and says we’re still innovating and leading.”
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.