As we embark on our 14th year at Baxter, there are so many things to be thankful for, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share so many more to come.
When I took on the role of President of Baxter Brewing in 2019, we were already in the process of rebranding to ensure our aesthetic represented the core values of our brand. Our goal was to create a cohesive brand identity that resonated with Baxter fans and stood out in a crowded market. So much passionate and creativity had gone into each Baxter release since the beginning that as the market changed, craft shelfs became full, and with the craft beer industry evolving rapidly, it was crucial for us to distinguish ourselves amidst the growing competition.
It was important to me that as we aimed to stand out, we also remained true to the most important elements of Baxter and why it was selected as the name. The story I came to understand at the time was that “Baxter” was selected to honor the time our founder, Luke, spent with his family in Baxter State Park. Regardless of the activity, the place, or the space, we felt we could all related to those types of memories and felt that honoring those connections with the great outdoors had to be central to our rebranding effort.
Choosing a symbol from within Baxter State Park seemed like a natural choice. We decided on the ridgeline view from Baxter Peak to Pamola Peak, a fitting tribute to the first beer Baxter Brewing released, Pamola. This ridgeline is the same one you’ll find on all Baxter cans and throughout our branding in various ways. Once the ridgeline was decided on, we began the challenge of bringing Stowaway to life, honoring its iconic skull and crossbones and celebrating a newly established unity across our year-round brands. We selected vibrant colors, like our Coastal Haze purple, Logger Road yellow, and Staycation Land teal that complemented each other for the benefit our variety pack, while ensuring each beer stood out individually on the shelf.
Branding and marketing were new to me. What I knew up until that point came from books, and as someone relatively new to the craft industry, I sought out people and brands we could learn from. During my search for marketing-specific programming available to brewers, I came across ‘Brewing the American Dream,’ a program by Sam Adams, and, although there was no current program available, I reached out to Jim Koch, the founder of Sam Adams, via email. Not only did he respond to me that day, he also made time in his schedule to have a call with on a Sunday, unbeknownst to me, the same day he was speaking at the National Distribution Conference in a different time zone. The time was irreplaceable and the impression he left on me was life altering.
As we launched our rebrand on February 29th, 2020, we had no idea what was to come. We knew we wanted a brandmark, a symbolic logo that could stand alone, to bring the rebrand fully to life, but as the world changed overnight, so did priorities. The management of home life, business survival, and planning for the future became paramount. As life sped by, our brandmark conversation took a backseat. However, we knew we would revisit it when the time was right.
As we embarked on 2024 with big aspirations and hard work on the horizon, we set the goal to identify and launch a brandmark, and make the next Baxter testament to who we are before the end of this year. While we worked through different concepts, designs, and overarching ideas, we kept coming back to our iconic ridgeline. Katahdin has consistently felt like the perfect representation for us, and therefore, we are thrilled to bring our namesake to light in a way never seen before!
We are thrilled and honored to share this part of our story with you and we thank you for your never-ending support. We at Baxter take pride in our craft, our quality, and our story as a whole. Cheers to you!
–Jennifer Lever
President of Baxter Brewing Co.