Stone Creek Unveils New Packaging, Plans for In-Store Improvements

Stone Creek’s new Radio Milwaukee location will serve as a blueprint for changes to existing stores. Facebook photo by Stone Creek.

After 20 years and 10 coffee shops, Milwaukee’s Stone Creek Coffee Roasters is in the midst of a rebranding effort that includes new packaging, new coffee lines, upgrades to existing coffee shops and an enhanced education program.

These are exciting times in Milwaukee, with the recent openings of several new micro roasteries and cafes, as well as expansions from well-established players such as Colectivo and Anodyne. For its part, Stone Creek has over the past year revamped its sourcing and roasting operations in an effort to improve coffee quality and consistency. Now the company is trying to show off that effort to consumers.

(more: Milwaukee’s Stone Creek Unveils Coffee ‘Factory’)

An example of Stone Creek’s new packaging.

Beginning today, Stone Creek is unveiling its new packaging, which reflects three distinct series of coffee lines: Classic, Seasonal and Lab. The Classic series includes some of the company’s well-known existing blends that will be available year-round; the Seasonal series naturally features rotating seasonal offerings; and the Lab series will feature rare and limited-availability coffees, typically from small family farms. From Stone Creek:

This new way of organizing our coffee better reflects the unique palates of our customers. We know that many customers simply want to wake up and drink an amazing Dark Guatemala coffee. Other customers want to experiment and check out what’s new. For those curious, we will have seasonal coffees that are sourced directly but are only around for a few months. There will also be the Lab Series – which are coffees for those individuals really into coffee: the best coffees from around the world, showcasing the diversity of profiles, processing styles, varieties, and regions of the world.

(more: Introducing the Big Central 2014 Barista and Brewers Cup Winners)

Stone Creek is also planning interior improvements at each of its existing bars over the next six months, including manual pour stations at every location, new artwork and environmental graphics. Radio Milwaukee, the company’s most recent cafe and its first with a manual bar and a modbar system, is being used as a kind of blueprint for the redesigns.

“All this work is being done to lay the foundation for the next 20 years,” says Stone Creek Founder and CEO Eric Resch. “Ultimately, we are following our passions and are simply excited to share it with others.”