Alba
Mexican spirit, New Zealand soul
Alba began with a burning question: how could its founders raise the bar for RTDs? Most RTDs are typically made with an amalgam of ethanol and cheap mystery flavourings, resulting in a taste that, while convenient, ends up tasting pretty fake. Alba decided to do it differently. The founders, though lovers of local products, were well travelled enough to know there’s nothing quite like the real thing. So, Alba is made with real margarita ingredients, and most importantly, real tequila.
Sourced from a single distillery in Mexico, Jimadors carefully select the highest quality, blue agave plants. In traditional brick ovens, these plants are cooked, fermented and then distilled in Mexican pot stills. The result is a soft, fruity and well-rounded tequila with floral aromas. On arrival in New Zealand, the tequila is either bottled pure, or blended into a unique margarita RTD using all natural ingredients. The result is a premium, authentic alcoholic beverage packed with flavour and personality.
As a studio, we were initially tasked to develop the branding and packaging for Alba’s Sparkling Margarita RTD, capturing the essence of the brand’s ‘Mexican spirit, New Zealand soul’. The authentic Mexican provenance of the tequila was what stood it apart from other products in market, so this was our design starting point. The name Alba means sunrise, or dawn in Spanish, so we began with strong visual reference of the sun as our first anchor point. We then introduced an intriguing human form, riding a horse and reaching upward to the sun. This added a tangible sense of spirit to the lock-up device.
The overall naivety of the linework, hand crafted typography and introduction of other graphic symbols are a nod to the authenticity and provenance of the tequila. Playful copywriting adds layers to the brand experience and allows the modern New Zealand personality to shine through.
Following on from the success of the Sparkling Margarita, it was decided that a pure tequila spirit would be a logical extension to the brand portfolio. The Alba branding was screen printed directly on the bottle to reflect the authenticity of the product, while body and neck labels were integrated to house all the legal information and consumer messaging.
The brand is already stocked in 120 stores around New Zealand, and is swiftly growing a fanbase in discerning drinkers looking for a better flavour experience.
