Mendocino Farms isn't a farm. It isn't in Mendocino. And their logo is a cow. None of that makes sense on paper.
In Southern California, none of it matters, because Mendo is an institution. People drive 20 minutes out of their way for a sandwich. But when the brand started expanding nationally, that hometown loyalty didn't pack its bags. New markets meant new people with zero context and zero reason to care.
What I found was a quiet revolution hiding in parchment paper, and I built an entire creative world around it. One idea, Eat Happy, became the thread running through everything: handcrafted social content that felt like it came from inside the kitchen, not a marketing calendar. Films that captured the texture, the steam, the hands, the joy of food made right. Visuals warm enough to make a stranger in a new city feel like a regular on day one.
Every new store opening got its own moment, designed to make a grand opening feel like the neighborhood's newest favorite spot, not just another fast-casual chain rolling into town.
Mendo moves fast. So did the creative.
