Creative growth strategy instead of logo for the bakery

Brief description
The young successor of a small mill with a centuries-old baking tradition relied on the support of a creative person and discovered the creative economy effect for his business. After taking over the business, the master baker developed a strategy with a product innovation including a growth strategy for his business. In addition to securing regional supplies in the rural area, the bakery subsequently expanded.

Regional characteristics
On the recommendation of Roger G. Knif, the company became a Climate Alliance company with its own environmental goals as part of the reorientation with the aim of operating a sustainable, CO2-neutral business model.
The response to the new advertising presentation of the traditional company was extremely positive, even if the changed illustration of the last supper was breaking taboos and did not meet with approval everywhere.

Duration
The process, which began with the desire to develop a new logo for Wachmann Mühle and culminated in a comprehensive re-branding for the entire company, took two and a half years. During this process, which was accompanied by Roger G. Knif as creative director, a growth strategy was also developed with the product brand development for the core product “rye natural sourdough bread” – henceforth called Muehlenlaib | Almost too good to share.

Recommendation 1: Creatives are most successful when they are involved in a long-term cooperation. This is the only way to achieve strategic goals. Results are all the more predictable if the creative service is also trusted in the long term.
Recommendation 2: The added value of cooperation arises above all when an external person is given real insight into your company. The willingness to open up to someone else and allow them to think along with you is an important first step in initiating change. If this basic trust is there, creative people can look at the DNA of a company and describe problem areas in detail. This allows them to design new approaches for corporate strategies that can seize previously overlooked opportunities and lead to success.
Recommendation 3: From the very beginning, the cooperation partners should be aware of their own history, their own impact and the cultural significance for their environment or region, and repeatedly address this basis in all discussions. At the earliest possible stage, an attempt should be made to involve all possible stakeholders in the process.

  • Partner in the cultural and creative sector: Roger G. Knif – Strategic Management Consulting
  • Subsector: Design
  • Partner SME: Wachmann Mühle GmbH
  • Economic sector: Manufacturing
  • Additional partners: Klimabündnis Österreich
  • Innovation type: Product innovation
  • How the collaboration came about: Targeted contact
  • Added value for the collaborating partners: Synergy from partner’s skills | Quality improvement | Innovation and development
  • Added value for the region: Enhancing the location’s appeal | Improvement of regional infrastructure