The first time I stumbled upon La Cabra Coffee’s website and Instagram, I was captivated by their aesthetics. I was absolutely fascinated by their selection of photography, colors, and iconography that build this brand. Everything here feels in its place. On one hand, it seems like every element has been meticulously curated, but on the other hand, it’s hard to ignore that the components have very diverse origins. And that’s no surprise because La Cabra is run by conscious creators who understand that coffee – as a final product – is a collective work and a journey through various paths. The true artistry lies in understanding and preserving this diversity while creating something unique. You could say that this is the essence of every creative process.
The photography La Cabra Coffee shares on Instagram and their website deserves a whole article on its own, because everything aligns here. There’s no exaggeration, just consistency in style and the right choice of content. Very minimalist, but flat. Sometimes, I had the feeling that it was too flat, and all I saw were pretty pictures. But then again, it’s something to be happy about because it’s a solid foundation for further development. On this well-established style, you could build an entirely new, fresh, and independent storytelling.
Speaking of storytelling… While La Cabra Coffee collaborates with young, creative people who hold strong positions in the industry, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it lacks a certain „core” – a main theme around which to frame La Cabra’s excellent products. There’s a „how” (as mentioned earlier), but it’s missing the „why” and „for what purpose.” And yes, not every piece of work needs these elements, but their absence defines distinctiveness. Here, I felt like I was thrown into a world I wasn’t necessarily meant to understand and was treated with a „take it or leave it” attitude. Because really, why should I care who Simay Demirel is? If I don’t know, why should I want to find out? After all, I just love good coffee. I’m a fan of La Cabra. I’m not following their Instagram for artistic inspiration. There are other places for that, broader in their artistic scope. And if you want to change the reason I’m following this profile, you need to say so openly and clearly.
Every brand’s communication with a human being should start with open arms and the message, “Hey! We’re doing something amazing. Come and see!” Here, I only see “We’re beautiful.” I start searching and uncovering more layers. On one hand, this is very interesting; on the other hand, in this informational mass, it’s good to highlight immediately what you can find and what adventures await you with the brand.
There’s a mysterious and slightly chaotic aura surrounding the profile and the website, which in my opinion, doesn’t belong here. Although, perhaps that’s the designers’ intention or just my subjective feeling. The structure is rather dreamlike, which contrasts with the minimalist and simple design.
Where are the Instagram stories, organized into highlights? Where are the posts that remind us why they do what they do, and why it’s done in this particular way? This is incredibly interesting, especially considering what the brand has achieved. They could teach a lot, not only in terms of brewing methods.
Speaking of brewing methods… I noticed that to get this kind of content, you need to subscribe to their newsletter. It’s missing from their Instagram profile. This type of content should be present both on their website and Instagram. And where’s the support and advice for beginner roasteries? La Cabra shouldn’t fear that someone will do things better than they do, because no one will do it better than they’ve built their brand on. Education, interesting facts – they should dance in sync with the beautiful visual presentation. So far, I feel like the brand’s digital content serves one purpose – sales. And it does that excellently, but too directly.
There’s one more topic that personally bothered me, and it’s my pet peeve – music. Low-contrast, vintage-tinged videos are brilliantly shot. I completely understand the idea of calm, ambient electronic music in the background, but for me, it’s just too much. Too much flatness. I hear very minimalist piano here, perhaps a Mini-Moog (I love analog sounds), but the current music setup feels more like white noise than a melody. I’m missing subtle melodies – some piano, maybe pizzicato strings, perhaps a delicate, minimalist vocal. Maybe it’s worth aligning the music more with the film content. Every coffee farm has its own spirit, which can be conveyed in both music and film.
And showcasing the history and atmosphere of coffee farms is an excellent idea for a YouTube series, but unfortunately, I didn’t find a channel.
In conclusion – it’s beautiful. But we need more people, less coffee. Because without people, no roastery/café/bakery can truly exist.
matt