— Nick Usborne has spent 40 years writing for some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Now he works for roasteries across North America and finds it a more compelling job.
Usborne, whose copywriting and inventive direction career includes clients including Apple, Disney, Reuters and The Novel York Times, has launched Beans and brand (beanandbrand.com), a boutique inventive agency with one very specific goal: helping independent specialty coffee producers find and tell the genuine story of their brand.
The problem he is trying to solve will be immediately recognizable to any Sprudge reader. Browse the websites of a hundred independent roasteries and you’ll come across the same language over and over again: words that used to mean something but now don’t mean much anymore.
Meanwhile, the stories that actually set these companies apart – why someone left a career to start a roastery, a decade-long relationship with a farming family in Ethiopia, or a conscious choice to serve one neighborhood and serve it well – are hidden somewhere on the “About Me” page – if they’re there at all.
“Story is the one layer of brand identity that cannot be copied by competitors – because story is rooted in lived, concrete organizational truth. It is the one layer that, by definition, is unique to your company.”
Usborne is not an outside observer parachuting into specialty coffee. He’s been writing about coffee for consumers at Coffeedetective.com for over 20 years – long enough to have a feel for both the industry and the people who love what he produces. He is also the author of (McGraw-Hill, 2001), one of the first books on Internet copywriting.
Bean & Brand works with independent coffee roasters, cafes and specialty coffee companies – founder-led businesses at the stage where the story begins to matter most – that have a real story to tell but haven’t quite told it yet.
“Substantial brands buy awareness. Compact companies earn it. They don’t do it with polished marketing scripts, but with raw, human stories. Whether it’s a founder’s question, a customer win, or an employee’s journey, a well-told story does more than sell. It gives your audience a reason to believe and your team a reason to care.”
Bean & Brand is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec and currently focuses on clients in North America.
About beans and the brand
Bean & Brand is a boutique inventive agency specializing in brand storytelling for independent specialty coffee companies. Founded by Nick Usborne, an award-winning copywriter with 45 years of experience, the agency helps roasters, cafes and specialty coffee companies develop an genuine brand narrative that sets them apart in a crowded, often generic-sounding marketplace. For more information, visit beanandbrand.com.
About Nick Usborne
Nick Usborne is an award-winning copywriter and inventive director with 40 years of experience. His clients include Apple, Disney, Reuters and The Novel York Times. He is the author of a book (McGraw-Hill, 2001) and has been writing about coffee for consumers at Coffeedetective.com for over 20 years.
