Starbucks Reserve
Ecuador Pichincha Volcano
Single Origin Coffee
Packaging + Illustration + Type Design
Creative VP: Jen Quotson | Creative manager: Vivian Che | Content manager: Andrew Brawner | Copywriter: Michael Mendonsa | Designer: Bonita Nongluk
This card was inspired by the stories of ex-urban Ecuadorian farmers – industry newcomers from the city who set out to create a lush cup of coffee in the stratosphere of the Pichincha Volcano. The region’s near constant sunshine, fertile terrain, and hazy fog provide the perfect ingredients for both well-developed flavors in the bag and a stacked, colorful composition outside the bag.
The illustration begins with the bustling cityscape as it slowly bleeds into the region’s mountains and into the heavens. I wanted this illustration to be both a love letter to Quito and a nod to Ecuador’s natural beauty. This coffee is part of the Starbucks Reserve collection, small lot coffees available exclusively at Starbucks Reserve stores.
Knowing that Ecuador’s primary export is roses, I wanted to incorporate this legacy somewhere on the card. Ultimately, I created a texture from grounded roses and a homemade tempera base to be used on the shadows and details of the illustration.
