From Lugano, Switzerland to Australia and back, with a stronger knowledge about vineyards and winemaking, and a desire to work with local ingredients to revive a much-loved traditional spirit – grappa. This is the story of Dado, the founder and mastermind behind Caina distillery.

With an ambition to break new ground in a rather traditional market full of predictable clichés, Caina partnered with ByVolume to develop a brand identity and packaging design that reflect just that.

The logomark is inspired by Mount Brè, Switzerland’s sunniest mountain overlooking lake Lugano. The slender bottles are the perfect frame for a set of four labels inspired by poster art minimalism, brought to life with dream-like illustrations and captivating colour blocks. Grappa Brè pays homage to the home village of the founder, and we borrowed the traditional billy goat and oak leaf icons as seen on the patrician flag of Brè. The barrel-aged Grappa Riserva is portrayed by an hourglass symbolising the passing of time and a half-hare half-kangaroo creature recalling the Swiss-Australian roots of Caina. Acquavite di Pere Williams shows a giant pear carried in the old woven pack baskets used by the legendary mountain smugglers operating in between the borderlands of Italy and Switzerland. Acquavite di Uva Americana features the historical local cable car ferrying a bunch of grapes to the summit of Mount Brè.

Contributors: A striking reverse-stress typeface by Collletttivo Foundry completes Caina’s unconventional and eye-catching aesthetics. The labels are printed on ribbed paper, whereas the bottles are hand finished with a colour-matched wax dip crowned by a custom-made seal. Product photography was brilliantly captured by Simone Cavadini and Luciano Baragiola.