Caffino Cup

Caffino Cup — Production & Creative Case Study

Role: Project Manager & Creative Lead
Project Type: Consumer Brand, Retail Experience, Product & Marketing
Timeline: Multi-phase launch (2018) → ongoing operations
Scope: Brand creation, retail design, product experience, operations, and growth
Teams: Design, Vendors, Contractors, Marketing, Community

Overview

Caffino Cup is a modern evolution of a long-standing Bay Area coffee brand, reimagined as a contemporary retail and product experience. I led the end-to-end creation and launch of the business, translating legacy brand equity into a new physical, visual, and operational identity while managing production, execution, and growth.

Production & Leadership Responsibilities

Program & Project Management

• Planned and executed timelines, budgets, contracts, and vendor coordination across launch phases

• Managed dependencies across physical build-out, branding, menu design, and operational readiness

Creative Direction & Brand Development

• Defined the brand’s visual identity across storefront design, menus, signage, and marketing

• Ensured consistency across physical space, customer touchpoints, and digital presence

User-Centered Design & Research

• Applied research and observational methods to optimize:

  • Street-level visibility

  • Drive-up and walk-up usability

  • Menu clarity for varied customer and vehicle types

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Aligned creative, operational, and marketing decisions to support launch goals

• Balanced aesthetic ambition with cost, timeline, and real-world constraints

Challenges

• Launching a new brand experience while honoring a 30-year legacy

• Designing a highly visible retail experience within real-world constraints (traffic flow, visibility, accessibility)

• Managing production decisions typically handled by larger teams as a small, hands-on leadership group

Outcomes & Impact

• Successfully launched and operated Caffino Cup with 4.4–4.5 star customer ratings

• Sustained operations for 6+ years

• Achieved approximately 30% customer growth through brand clarity, community engagement, and product strategy

• Established a recognizable, differentiated presence in a competitive local market

Why This Matters

This project demonstrates my ability to lead complex, cross-disciplinary initiatives end-to-end — from vision and design through execution, operations, and growth. It reflects the same production fundamentals required at scale: clear ownership, disciplined execution, user-centered decision making, and adaptability under constraints.