TOCAYO

Launching A Mexican Craft Beer

Constellation Brands, known for their #1 selling Mexican import, Corona, takes a turn from iconic import to small and local with the launch of their first craft beer, Tocayo.

It is a perfect partnership: Constellation Brands, the leading producer of high-end Mexican beers and Chef Rick Bayless, a James Beard award-winning chef with a devotion to Mexican cuisine and a passion for great beer. The result, Tocayo Hominy White Ale, a delicious, sessionable, and refreshing beer inspired by the flavors of Mexico.

Constellation turned to Trinity, with its decades of experience building beer brands and deep understanding of the category landscape, to help get this unique brand ready for retail launch.

INSIGHTS

An Inspiration Whose Time Had Come

Launching into craft with a Mexican-inspired ale was a natural starting point for Constellation, which already brews and markets a number of Mexican imports, including Corona, Pacifico, Modelo and Victoria. Shifting demographics in the U.S. and an increased popularity in Mexican imports made the market ripe for the introduction. The partnership with Chicago Chef Rich Bayless of Frontera and with the respected and highly awarded local Two Brothers Brewery added local interest and another layer of credibility for consumers looking to explore.

STRATEGY

The Perfect Partnership

The name “Tocayo” is Spanish for a person’s namesake. Informally, it denotes a relationship between 2 like-minded people – a fitting name for the product of the shared passions of Chef Bayless and Constellation.

Inspired by Mexican ingredients, Tocayo Hominy White Ale is a Belgian-style witbier brewed with hominy, a white corn popular in Mexican cuisine. To position Tocayo as an “entry” beer for the consumer just beginning their journey into craft, Trinity developed a creative strategy around “Inspired Authenticity.” The strategy, and the design it drove, embodies the duality of the brand, a beer inspired by Mexican ingredients and flavors but brewed in the great city of Chicago.

CREATIVE

A Fresh Take On Craft Beer

The new Tocayo package is expressive, friendly and inviting. Colorful concentric circles are the visual embodiment of Tocayos – like-minded friends, similar but unique. The texture is reminiscent of brush strokes in keeping with both the crafted nature of the product and the easy-going and social nature of the brand. The color palette has a strong nod to Mexican art while also reflecting the colors of the Chicago flag inside of the “O”. Staged against a field of white, the design has a distinctive, modern look – one that nods to the white color of hominy and to the White Ale beer style, all contributing to a refreshing and sessionable taste expectation. The new package breaks the mold in craft, inviting consumers to experience a fresh take on a traditional White Ale.