” Harewood Food and Drink Project appoint Robot Food to name, position and design an identity as tasty as their sought-after seasonal products.

The Harewood Estate, situated between Leeds and Harrogate, is known for its rich history and the expansive grounds around Harewood House. Now, the Harewood Food and Drink Project has launched as a new collaborative initiative that partners with local makers to produce delicious, artisanal products using fresh ingredients found on the estate. Leeds-based creative design agency, Robot Food, were asked to develop the brand and take the lead on its positioning, naming, identity creation and packaging design.

The project was a new focus for the Lascelles. With grounds abundant in natural resources, the family behind the estate since 1738 had not only spotted an opportunity to leverage the estate’s lesser-known legacy for food production, but to champion the best the local Yorkshire community had to offer. Robot Food’s task was to create a confident brand inspired by the history and heritage of the land and to communicate it in a way that is relevant to a contemporary audience who are passionate about home-grown produce.

The nature of the Harewood Food and Drink Project means that the outcome of each collaboration has the potential to be different and so Robot Food needed to consider everything and anything; from spirits, ales and meats to pop-ups and dining experiences. The team’s strategy was two-fold, the first step being to create a distinct brand mark that anchored the project and could be applied consistently across a breadth of deliverables. Next, the team established an eclectic illustrative style that both complemented the simplicity of the brand mark and allowed enough flexibility to change from product to product, depending on ingredient, story and collaboration.

The result is a cool, contemporary design that foregoes an expected, stuffy farm shop aesthetic and challenges perceptions of a privately owned rural estate for a brand that is bold, expressive and reflective of the project itself.

Martin Widdowfield, Creative Director at Robot Food, said “There’s so much more to the Harewood Food and Drink Project than the end result. For us, the design needed to celebrate the family, their partnerships, their land and communicate their unique story. It’s great to work with global brands, but we feel equally excited to work so closely with someone local doing something so different. Can’t wait to see what comes next.”

Eddy Lascelles, Owner and Director of Harewood Food and Drink Project, said “We were extremely diligent in selecting which branding agency to work with as we felt it would have been very easy to get it wrong. We wanted to strike a balance which gave a nod to the fantastic heritage we have at Harewood but interpreted in a way which excites a modern consumer base. The team at Robot Food immediately understood what we were trying to achieve and helped to clarify in our minds what we wanted our brand to be. We’re delighted with the result and can’t recommend the talented team highly enough.”

Each Harewood Food and Drink Project collaboration is limited edition and available while stocks last. Look out for Whittaker’s collaboration, Greystone gin and a delicious line of seasonal beers from the likes of Quirky Ales, Roosters Brewing Co. and Ilkley Brewery available in independent retailers and good bottle shops in the Yorkshire region, as well as their extremely popular pop-up supper clubs based on the estate.”