Born from a quest to recreate a recipe discovered while traveling in Brazil, Mike’s Hot Honey has quickly amassed a loyal fan base. The chili pepper-infused honey was originally introduced as an ingredient on one of the pies at the Brooklyn-based pizzeria, Paulie Gee’s, where founder Michael Kurtz was working as an apprentice. Customer demand for take-home containers led to the idea of mass distribution. To that end, Mike turned to Chase Design Group to carve out an identity for a new player in the condiment category.
According to Clark Goolsby, vp, creative director, Chase Design Group, “We drew inspiration from Mike’s roots and ‘old-soul’ character to develop the vintage-inspired, typographically-driven design that champions the quality and craft poured into every bottle.” Bold typography emphasizes the word “HOT,” in thick, red letters. The label design includes a lighter background to help it stand out on the shelf and a honey bee illustration encircled in a gold badge to evoke quality. The product is currently being rolled out in regional grocery stores including Whole Foods, Central Market and Fairway, and nationally in select specialty food retailers.
