New Work: Reshaping the Always Fresh Portfolio.
For a company built on seasonal excellence and deep grower relationships, evolving the brand is never just about expanding a portfolio—it’s about deepening purpose. As Always Fresh continues to lead in the premium berry space, their latest initiative marks a strategic shift toward celebrating the local stories behind the fruit. Together, we set out to design a suite of regional sub-brands that could live confidently under the Always Fresh umbrella—while standing on their own to meet specific consumer demands.
The task was clear: translate seasonality, regionality, and grower pride into a flexible design system with an emotional impact. With new varieties, markets, and flavor profiles to consider, the opportunity wasn’t just to add SKUs but to build something new from the soil up.
From Portfolio Expansion to Strategic Expression
Always Fresh is known for delivering high-quality berries year-round, but the company also has a legacy of partnership with growers—some spanning generations. As demand grows for products with local roots and transparent sourcing, the team recognized the value in telling those stories more explicitly. As it is already a core part of their digital experience, we decided to bring this regional pride to the package.
Rather than relying on the mainline brand alone, we developed a brand architecture that would allow new seasonal lines to emerge with distinct identities—each one grounded in the personality of a specific place or community. The result? A multi-label system that captures the joy of fresh-picked fruit.
Designing with Local in Mind
At the heart of this project was the idea that people shop with their senses but buy with their values. We focused on packaging and naming systems that would appeal visually and reflect the cultural context of each region.
That meant embracing details others might miss: generational slogans, local idioms, and even references to folk songs unique to specific areas. These cues didn’t just inform naming—they shaped everything from typography to label shape to illustrative styles. Consumers might not consciously register every nod to place, but the sum total creates an undeniable sense of authenticity.
We built a modular design framework to help each sub-brand stand apart while maintaining cohesion with the larger Always Fresh identity. Through the considered use of shape, color, and iconography, we gave each line visual autonomy without losing brand recognition.
Blushies: A Sweet Case Study in Seasonal Storytelling
Among the first seasonal launches is Blushies, a delicate and flavorful pineberry available for a limited time. With its pale pink hue and subtle sweetness, the berry itself was already a sensory standout. Our job was to give it a name and identity that captured that delight—and helped it pop on shelf.
The name “Blushies” invites an immediate emotional reaction through it’s playful nature. The packaging followed suit, using bright, confectionary-inspired colors and clean, modern graphics to echo the berry’s distinct profile.
Most importantly, the seasonally inspired design system behind Blushies was built to scale. Should future pineberry varietals—or other seasonal flavors—emerge, they can follow the same expressive structure while offering room for creative distinction.
A System Built for Seasons, Regions, and Growth
The broader goal wasn’t to build a brand for just one SKU or one season. It was to establish a platform for storytelling that could flex and grow alongside Always Fresh’s ambitions. The foundation is now in place, whether the next label celebrates a North Carolina grower cooperative or a New York varietal with cult-favorite status.
This regionalized approach strengthens Always Fresh’s position in a competitive category by giving buyers and consumers something more than just good fruit. It gives them a reason to care. And in today’s produce aisle, that can make all the difference.
To see more of the Always Fresh brand strategy, click here, or visit our work page for the full case study.
Freshmade is a CPG Branding and Strategy Design agency focusing on food branding and paackage label design. We design for digital, from campaigns to websites, and have an in-house photography studio. Our goal is to accelerate growth for our clients through mouthwatering, thoughtful brand building and design. Notable clients we have designed CPG packaging for include Bolthouse Fresh, Hartz, Publix, Mastronardi (Sunset), Annie Chun’s, Factor, and many more.
