Fresh Ingredients. Delicious Endeavors.
Being the first kombucha brewery in Mercer County, WV, Bucha Brewhouse & Bistro brings many opportunities. Since before opening in September 2018, Bucha’s Owner, Kayla Alred, has had the vision of encouraging a culture in West Virginia that empowers citizens to take control of their health and well-being. Bucha provides a daily rotating menu with a variety of food styles and puts ingredients to creative use for things like house-made tofu mayo and cashew “cheesecake.”
In June of 2018, Starry Eyes began working with its close friend, Kayla, to help her grow a brand that represented healthier and fresher meal options in the mountain state, while also offering unique food and drink choices not found anywhere else. We started with branding and photography and then produced various print materials and a website to keep her followers in the loop on rotating kombuchas and daily menus.
Addressing A Health Crisis
West Virginia has the highest adult obesity rate in the nation and the second-highest obesity rate for youth ages 10 to 17. When it comes down to it, there aren’t many healthy and affordable options when dining out in our “wild and wonderful” state. That’s one of the many reasons why Bucha Brewhouse & Bistro came to be. Kayla had a dream of brewing kombucha and encouraging healthy eating and drinking habits.
Our team worked hard to create branding to reflect the mission that she had in mind, adding touches of tea leaves and colors that communicate freshness and health. One of Kayla’s operations goals in the coming years is to bottle and distribute her kombucha. Knowing this, we ensured that her brandmark (the “B”) has the perfect proportions for bottle labels.Â
Capturing The Heat Of The Moment
Food photography can be tricky, especially when capturing fresh food instead of a wax display. When a meal is prepared right in front of you, you only have so long to catch the perfect photo that includes the steam.
When creating the website for Bucha Brewhouse & Bistro, photography of Kayla’s unique style was a must and inspired a significant bit of the layout. With a menu that changes each day, we didn’t know what we would be photographing until we got there and begin setting up. The results? Well, they speak for themselves – every photo on this page features fresh food and ingredients. A strong visual impact can make a brand more appealing and attractive; convince us otherwise!
Don’t Forget The Storefront!
If your store’s windows are bare and you don’t have a sign, how will people know you’re there and what you do? Our team measured, planned, plotted, hand-weeded, and applied the vinyl window graphics for Bucha’s storefront. This signage project included a sizeable double-sided blade sign, the door, and multiple window panes that feature Bucha’s branding and attention-getting descriptors like “Kombucha,” “Paninis,” Soups,” “Salads,” and more.
While we generally don’t offer vinyl signage services, Kayla has been a close friend for years. Considering she was also our newest neighbor, we knew the windows would contribute to the overall visual impact of our favorite strip, the Grassroots District. Further, taking control of the signage gave us total control over the branding without the worry of a third-party/sign company disproportionately sizing the graphics file (a common problem we’ve encountered that results in a “smushed” logo and other graphics).
A Site Centered On A Revolving Menu
When Kayla approached us about offering a website that allowed her to post her weekly menu and house-made kombucha selections, we began devising a plan that would fit her business model. Kayla needed to quickly make these updates herself so her followers could visit the site on Sundays to see her new weekly offering.Â
We developed a simple solution; each week, when Kayla plans a new menu, she logs on to her website and quickly makes a post. Her website does the work of sorting posts about weekly menus and new kombucha brews, replacing the older ones with the newer ones, so visitors only see what’s relevant. The site gives Bucha a compelling way to share their fresh, locally-sourced ingredients with its community while also contributing to SEO (Search Engine Optimization).