A lot of things we create are collaborations, and our newest DEEP all-seasons coffee is a great example. As the DEEP coffee line evolved to a year-round brew, we revamped our label art with the talents of both graphic designer and genius Shelly Tansy (owner at CrowberryCo.) and Mike Daniel, founder and design director at Bunkhouse Collective.
Mike originally created the mountain sketch you’ll see on the forefront of the new label for Protect Our Winters (POW), the organization that inspired this coffee. Shelly married the mountain art with a color scheme meant to evoke feelings you can get outdoors in all seasons—whether it’s a bit of tangerine that reminds you of wintertime alpenglow or a hazy pink that’s become all too synonymous with smoke season in the northwest. Twilight, dawn, transitions, and new beginnings come to mind; a jumping off point, whether into a new day or a new era of climate justice.
“I’m really inspired by flight and how the sky looks throughout the year,” says Shelly. “I have enjoyed many spring sunsets that I would have sworn were winter sunrises.” This sort of fluidity inspired the color palette as Shelly finalized this all-season execution of DEEP coffee to reenergize the outdoor community. “The POW community and focus has grown and we felt this would be a great time for the change in design.”
The mission of POW and our DEEP coffee aligned with artist Mike Daniels’ ideals too. Mike grew up on the coast of California and has been a goofyfoot surfer, skateboarder, snowboarder, and mountain biker who has worked with POW since close to day one. “I love the organization, the team, and the efforts in what they do,” says Mike. “I love coffee and love to support and push POW, so this was a perfect-fit collaboration for myself.”
Mike says pen and ink are his go-to art medium, because the tools he needs are minimum. He’s on the go with family and life, so when he finally gets to the sketchbook, its usually in small windows of time. He also enjoys charcoal / conte crayon.
If you’re thinking Mike’s mountain scene on our DEEP can looks a little like a place you know . . . well, that’s a good thing, but it’s not modeled after a specific peak. Mike never draws from pictures, so while he says a lot of people think this illustration is El Cap, Mike simply “started with a line and connected to another line. Typically what I draw are just places I want to be camping at, sitting, drinking coffee.”
We think that sounds like a good time too. Which is why DEEP coffee was made, to celebrate and protect our natural world. In this case, saving the planet and drinking coffee go hand in hand.
Why work to save the planet? Because we think it would be nice to have a place to live in 100 years and we work with coffee farmers who are directly affected by climate change. (Aren’t we all?) This coffee helps protect all the seasons to preserve the outdoor places we love by giving $1 from each can of coffee sold to POW. May they continue to fight the good fight.
Check out our current DEEP coffee tasting notes, information about the coffee farm, and order coffee here.