FWD:Coffee

Overview

FWD:Coffee is an independent London coffee brand built on quality, craft, and community. Operating across three locations — Curtain Road, Whitecross Street, and Farringdon — they needed a visual identity, product design, and digital infrastructure to match their ambition.

What began as Fix Coffee evolved through a rebrand into FWD:Coffee, culminating in the launch of their own coffee brand and subscription service in 2023. We partnered with founders Sasha Rainey and Sophie Bremaud through every stage — from initial website build to full brand rollout.

Challenge

The project evolved through multiple phases:

• Navigate a full rebrand from Fix Coffee to FWD:Coffee while maintaining customer recognition.
• Create a cohesive visual identity across physical and digital touchpoints — from coffee bags to Instagram.
• Build eCommerce infrastructure for a subscription service that could scale with the business.
• Own customer data and relationships directly, not through third-party platforms.

Approach

We embedded as an ongoing partner rather than a project-based vendor — providing consistent support across brand, product, and digital as the business evolved.

Brand Identity & Product Design

The transition from Fix Coffee to FWD:Coffee required updating every customer touchpoint. We developed the visual identity with a bold yellow and grey colour scheme, then extended it to merchandise, loyalty cards, and — when FWD:Coffee launched their own roasted coffee — product labels for the full range.

The signature "FWD:blend" for espresso-based drinks, single origins, and decaf all received packaging that balanced specialty credibility with approachable design.

Website & eCommerce

We built a website that functions as both brand showcase and eCommerce hub. Fast, responsive, and designed to convert casual visitors into subscribers. The site integrates Google Maps for store locations, handles payments through Stripe, and showcases the coffee range with clean, compelling product pages.

Subscription Service

We launched their coffee subscription service with a custom Shopify integration. The platform captures first-party data, tracks customer preferences, and gives the team full control over their audience relationships. Clean design, simple checkout, and a system built to grow with the business.

Digital Marketing & Loyalty

Ongoing digital marketing included ad management, newsletter strategy, and Embargo loyalty app integration. We coordinated the rebrand across the app — updating shop names from "FIX / Powerhouse" to the new FWD:Coffee locations. Social content emphasised premium equipment, specialty expertise, and neighbourhood community.

Creative Solution

FWD:Coffee's identity strikes a balance between specialty coffee credibility and neighbourhood accessibility. The brand doesn't try to be precious or exclusive — it's confident, straightforward, and community-minded.

The visual language — bold typography, signature yellow, clean photography — works equally well on a loyalty card, a coffee bag, or an Instagram grid. It scales from intimate (a handwritten note on a flyer) to polished (London Coffee Festival presence).

Results & Impact

• Cohesive brand presence across physical and digital touchpoints.
• Successful launch of FWD:Coffee's own roasted coffee brand with full product range.
• Subscription infrastructure built to scale, with first-party data ownership.
• Seamless rebrand transition across three London locations.
• London Coffee Festival participation (2023) with unified brand presence.

FWD:Coffee now has the infrastructure to scale their subscription model, own their customer data, and build direct relationships with their audience — the foundation for long-term growth as an independent brand.