Manukora is a New Zealand-based producer of raw Mānuka honey, founded in 1998 by Mike Bell and beekeeper Bryce Hooton. The brand focuses on ethically sourced, traceable honey from remote regions of New Zealand and markets itself as a health and wellness product. In 2022, Manukora underwent a complete brand identity and packaging redesign led by Vancouver-based creative agency Pendo, which repositioned the company as an upscale apothecary-style wellness brand.
Design and History
Before the 2022 rebrand, Manukora’s packaging followed category conventions, using the familiar amber PET rectangular jar common among honey brands. Pendo was commissioned to completely reinvent the brand’s visual identity and packaging, with the goal of separating Manukora from competitors that “all looked the same” and giving the brand an upscale, apothecary feel. The redesign was developed alongside the launch of Manukora’s Botanicals product line, requiring careful coordination between the new brand system, the honey line, and the new product extension. [1]
The new identity was built around a wordmark logo, using the brand name as its composition. Pendo worked with The Northern Block to create a customized version of the Moret typeface for the wordmark, with specific letterforms further customized to reflect the brand’s feeling. The letter “a” was redesigned to provide a more harmonious perception of the overall word composition. The logo was rendered in contrasting black, which allowed it to be placed in various combinations and made it stand out against other image-based logos. [2] [3]
Pendo’s creative director Peter Ladd described the approach as stripping the design down to its essentials, positioning Manukora as an upscale apothecary brand that stands out in a saturated and commodity-driven market. The agency also noted that a sense of place was important in developing the brand, with New Zealand’s lush environment influencing imagery, packaging, photography, coloring, and styling. [4] [1]
Typography and Design
The brand identity pairs two typefaces: Moret, a serif typeface by The Northern Block, and Metro Sans by Samuel Oakes. According to Pendo, this combination speaks to both the history and locale of Manukora, as well as the simplicity and transparency of the product. Pendo worked closely with The Northern Block to create a custom version of Moret for the identity, further customizing letterforms including “a,” “c,” “f,” “r,” and “s” for the Manukora wordmark. [2]
The visual identity uses a restrained, minimal palette with dark, silver, and gold tones used to distinguish honey grades across the packaging system. The packaging itself was designed for each product type and appropriate dosage, with color-coded elements helping consumers identify different MGO strength levels. [3]
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