La Cocina Uses a Rebrand to Nurture Its Business—and Dozens of Others’, Too

La Cocina is San Francisco’s first incubator kitchen, providing affordable commercial kitchen space and industry-specific assistance so low-income entrepreneurs can grow and sustain their businesses.

Situation

La Cocina gives low-income entrepreneurs much more than a taste of success. The nonprofit equips them to succeed for life.

As San Francisco’s first incubator kitchen, La Cocina helps food businesses grow and thrive by providing affordable, commercial kitchen space and industry-specific assistance.

Challenge

With such a delicious business model, it didn’t take long for La Cocina to become successful and nationally recognized.

As the nonprofit grew, it realized it had outgrown its original logo.

A talented design agency was brought in to create a new logo.
And yet, despite feedback from focus groups and the board, the new logo stopped short.

Without style guides and a fully-developed visual identity, the logo was just a logo.

What La Cocina really needed was a whole brand. And it needed systems to carry this brand across all print and online collateral.

With an integrated brand, there would be no limits to what the nonprofit could accomplish.

Solution

Benz Communications worked with La Cocina staff and two designers to bring the new logo to life and to articulate the organization’s brand and vision.

Starting with two key print brochures, the new logo began to fit together into a full brand identity, with documented guidelines to support future efforts.

Results

The initial print brochures and stationery were a hit—bringing praise from both within the organization and beyond.

The new logo now appears in a range of print collateral, in the organization’s website, and even in temporary tattoos.

At last, La Cocina’s image matches its reputation—and the difference it’s made in entrepreneurs’ lives.