It’s hard to imagine driving down Broadway without seeing the iconic glowing neon of “Local Coffee.” As the storefront
for Merit Coffee Roasters, Local Coffee summed up the spirit of the brand by offering a place where locals could gather
and enjoy each other’s company and high quality bean-to-cup coffee roasted in their own city. But as other brands and
stores encroached on the term “local” and plans for expansion to other cities challenged the notion of how ownable
the name could be outside of San Antonio, the brand had a very tough decision to make, stay “local” or move on.
Many brands struggle with their identity and that one thing they can “own.” What’s that one thing they can say that no
one else can? When confronted with this, the best place to begin is with your purpose. What is the purpose that drives
your product or service offering? Most of the time, the space you can own directly comes from your core purpose.
For Merit, that meant that reaffirming their commitment to their product and employees, that there was “merit” in doing
what was right because it was the right thing to do. Part of that also meant keeping the San Antonio heritage alive
as “Local.” And by finding a way to merge the two positions, both were strengthened. So when you see “Merit is Local,”
know that you’re supporting community and quality.
We think it’s a great lesson, and it’s why after 40 years, Taylor West is still driven by the same purpose, to connect
people to great brands. Give us a call and let us show you how being true to your purpose is always the best strategy.