Boulder’s Sterling-Rice Group Leverages Tradition of San-J in Brand Redesign
By The Denver Egotist / /
After eight-generations of excellence, San-J — known for its authentic tamari soy sauce — is launching a refreshed brand identity and packaging design developed in partnership with the Sterling-Rice Group. The new branding is part of an integrated marketing initiative led by SRG that also includes brand strategy, advertising, web design and digital activation. San-J’s popular tamari is a premium Japanese soy sauce that is made with all soybeans and no wheat. It is a leading brand at Whole Foods and other natural retailers.
To understand the unique story of San-J, the team immersed itself in the brand’s origin and legacy. The 200-year-old company is run by Takashi Sato, the 8th generation of the Sato Family, who appears in the advertising and on the website, emphasizing both the brand’s established legacy for quality and its more modern approach. The new brand positioning “Boldness Endures” is inspired by the brand’s heritage while looking to the future, celebrating San-J’s place at the intersection of tradition and innovation.
SRG evolved the San-J logo to reflect a more modern look, respecting the core equities of the brand while creating a bold, simplified new look for packaging. “Our vision for San-J was to maximize the brand’s impact to stand out at the shelf with a clean look that could be incorporated into new product lines as San-J introduces new sauces and flavors,” explained Trevor Harkema from SRG. “There is so much equity in its existing brand, we wanted to build off the established icon of the red Japanese sun and simplify the rest of the packaging to let the sun shine through.”
The updated design also employs a new color strategy and features stylized Japanese-inspired patterns to make shopping the lineup easier, more intuitive and to further differentiate the packaging.
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