A Fresh Look for Liber

Written by: Adam Higginbotham

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Time to read 3 min

Hi. We are Chris, Robert, and Adam— the co-founders of Liber & Co.

 

We are very, very excited to share our refreshed branding and our new custom bottles with you—but before we go into detail on that, we’d like to share a few words on a more personal level.


This refresh is the culmination of more than 2 years of incredible effort, problem solving, ingenuity, and creativity on the part of our outstanding team. But the real journey started 13 years ago…


In 2011, we were three guys in our early 20s visiting the best bars in every city we traveled to. Cocktails were just a hobby back then, but we would leave those bars truly inspired. At home we thought, “what would it take to capture some of that magic for ourselves, here in our home bar?”


We quickly discovered what world-class bartenders already knew: the neon-colored syrups from cheap plastic bottles weren't good enough. Instead, those top bartenders were crafting their own syrups and modifiers in-house, using exceptional ingredients and a culinary approach.



Once that clicked, we dove in. We became borderline obsessive over learning about and mastering the ideas and techniques behind the essential ingredients that allowed us to capture that craft bar magic for ourselves, and eventually for other people as well. 


What started as a fun hobby became a small business venture when we decided to bottle our syrups and offer them to friends, family, and local liquor stores.


In 2014 we took a huge leap and built out our first 3,000 square-foot production facility—a terrifying yet exhilarating step that marked the beginning of something truly special.


Today, over 10 years later, we are putting the final touches on our brand new 21,000 square-foot production facility, and we couldn't be more excited to continue spreading our wings and offering the best cocktail ingredients we can make. 

A Big Thanks To You


Liber & Co. is still a bootstrapped business to this day, and it is not an exaggeration to say that you, our loyal customers, are our foundation. So, thank you! Without you our story would not be possible. 

Our Process


Recognizing that our customers’ satisfaction is the lifeblood of our business, we began our brand refresh process with your feedback. We knew there were issues with the caps becoming sticky, we knew the bottle sizes and 12-pack case format weren’t ideal for bars and restaurants, and we knew the premium nature of our product demanded a premium look and feel so it could sit proudly on any bartop. 

Visual Changes


The process started with our visual identity: our fonts, our colors, our mascot, our logo. Over the years, we’ve heard from countless customers that our brand resonated with them. So we set out to double down on our brand identity, giving some areas like our logo a subtle refresh while also expanding the brand with some new design elements. 


Some changes were as small as removing some of the folds in Liber’s robe, and some were as large as completely redesigning our labels and changing our fonts. 


We decided that the Roman cocktail god himself, Liber, should play a larger and more conspicuous role in our branding, so you’ll notice him more across this refresh. We further expanded on the Liber theme by adding a patterned border throughout our branding, inspired by Roman tiles found near the ancient Liber temple in Rome, and we added a columnal base to our custom bottle to echo this Liber temple theme.

Physical Changes


Perhaps the most obvious change in this refresh is our transition from the pharmacy-style Boston Round bottle to a new, custom-designed glass bottle in 750 mL and 375 mL sizes. One goal of these changes was to present an evolution of the Liber brand that would register with our customers as a dramatic upgrade while still being instantly recognizable as Liber & Co. Further, it was important that these bottles not just be visually appealing, but also very functional. 


The elongated neck and integrated no-drip pour spout were key features that were included based on direct customer feedback. We’ll miss the Boston Round’s tried and true silhouette, but the new bottle, with it’s shapely ergonomic neck, just feels better in the hand and the no-drip pour spout addresses perhaps our most common customer complaint. We believe the new bottle is a game-changer for usability and customer experience.

Looking Ahead


Today marks a major event in the story of Liber & Co. and we, as a team, have poured ourselves into this immense undertaking with dedication and excitement. There are many more wonderful things happening here that we can’t wait to share with you—beyond syrups even!


We hope you continue to join us in our quest to deliver the best beverage experiences possible. None of this would be possible without you, so we raise our glasses in thanks and cheers to a bright future filled with fine drinks and good times!