Sumol Oranges of the Algarve

Design: BrandMe
Location: United Kingdom
Project Type: Produced
Client: Sumol
Product Launch Location: Portugal
Packaging Contents: Carbonated Soft Drink
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Aluminium Can

Sumol+Compal have launched a brand new carbonated soft drink, Laranjas do Algarve, to tap into the growing need for authenticity and hyper-specific provenance. The new design by BrandMe celebrates the Portuguese love for their country and their produce, and communicates the sweetness and intensely natural flavour of the new drink.

“Sumol is the junction of Juice (‘Sumo’ in Portuguese) and Sun (‘Sol’ in Portuguese). This has never been truer with the new Sumol Laranjas do Algarve, where we paired the juice of the world’s best oranges to the amazing memories of the Algarve Summer. It is a great pride for Sumol to create such a surprising flavour with such a Portuguese fruit. It is a very refreshing drink; intense and bright but always with the authenticity and pleasure that, through more than 65 years, this iconic brand has offered” Miguel Garcia, Director of Strategic Marketing at Sumol + Compal.

Sumol was the first carbonated soft drink containing real fruit juice to appear in Portugal in 1954. Since then, Sumol has become a true national icon, known for its distinctive natural orange flavour, bold personality and Portuguese heritage.

As consumers increasingly search for elevated taste experiences in their everyday choices, Sumol saw an opportunity to innovate and enrich their offering by launching a new, more intense orange flavoured soft drink that still heroes their Proudly Portuguese brand essence. The new Laranjas do Algarve flavour is made specifically with oranges from the sunny coastal region of Portugal, known for their sweetness and intensely natural taste.

From the innovation concept itself, brand strategy and positioning, to packaging design, POS and photography guidelines, BrandMe have helped create every aspect of the brand world. The warm spirit of Portugal, and the zesty richness of the Algarve oranges, pop in a colourful, illustrative pack design that is a clear extension of the established Sumol style.

“We created a design which carefully balances the beauty of a relaxing day on an Algarve beach and the refreshing delight of an intense orange taste. The treatment of colour was key to ensure our design communicates both provenance and flavour” Emily Smith, Senior Designer at BrandMe.

By keeping the key assets in the same place including the logo and the historic diagonal orientation of the pack design, we ensured synergy with the rest of the range.

“The challenge was always the balance of range synergy with distinctiveness. A second orange variant needed clear justification, but in a design language that, while linking clearly with core Sumol, told a different story. The solution is distinctly modern interpretation of the romanticism of Portuguese beach life along with their love of the natural environment.” John Wynne, Owner/Creative Director at BrandMe

What's Unique?
In a category where new-to-world beverages are coming out every day, we had an opportunity to create something truly original. Rather than leveraging graphic language from an existing soft drink space, we wanted to tell a uniquely Portuguese flavour story – one that heroes the ingredients special to the Sumol brand.