Specialty coffee for everyday people
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. Time has certainly moved on since the wise words of mother Goose but the message of the nursery rhyme sets the undertone to our why at Big Dog. We’re living in a society with a multitude of generations, from Gen Z’s to Baby boomers, all thinking and consuming in various ways.
A brand’s challenge of being accommodatingly appealing could be somewhat impossible but we’ll keep the ‘I’ word in the mind and not in the Ether. The question is, are we meant to be appealing at all? Covid-19, a helping of perspective and a collective of quiet independent thinkers are certainly innovating and leading the change around this neck of the woods. It led us to think, could we call ourselves hipsters or are we everyday people? Seeking meaningful work through passion and mobilising community. We’re aiming to differentiate from the stereotypical norm of a ‘hipster’ and devise new meaning for people who care about how, and what we’re consuming.
Classic H.
The label of a hipster gets thrown around so flippantly nowadays, but what does it mean to be part of this sub-culture? The hipster notion is arguably someone whose fashion and music interests move beyond the mainstream. If we peel back the outer layer of image, the ‘hipster’ moves well beyond controversial trends and into the realm of social phenomenon. Such person has a desire to produce and consume contrary to the mainstream and societal norm. Arguably trying too hard to be different but nevertheless, defiance oozing and hardy to reject anything deemed popular.
Specialty coffee and the classic ‘hipster’ have a long-standing association with one another. A popular product, cultivated by mother earth, the pairing goes hand in hand. If we cast our minds back to 2020, the year Big Dog was unearthed; new market entrants, passion brimmed and the only H’s about – Huw & Hannah. We asked ourselves, do we need to appeal to a social phenomenon? Did we need to address our fashion sense? Taste in music? Evolve or die, all in the name of specialty coffee.
We did none of the above.
As you look back at how quickly your child grows up, it’s been the same for the Big Dog brand. Potty training’s done, nappies are now redundant, we’re holding our own (quite literally). We don’t brandish ourselves hipsters but it’s exactly what we are. Nil of stereotypical image but full of a desire to produce and consume in an alternative way. We’re seekers of authenticity, creativity and meaningful stories.
Can you relate?
A community is emerging, one of people removed from the hyper connected, dehumanised world. Success isn’t societal, its subjective, personal, mainstream defiant. We’ve come to a realisation that we’re everyday people. Hipster, but not, if so to speak. Becoming conscious to how and what we consume doesn’t require stubborn rejection or being ‘different’, its diligence. Everyday people consume responsibly, act inclusively and create a community lined with diversity.
In the true essence of the hipster, we’re ‘sheep in wolves clothing’. Leading positive change requires hostility, all encompassed by a humble heart.
Specialty coffee for everyday people.