nobody asked | finding a brand name

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Recently, I've explored fermentation and kombucha-making, seeking non-alcoholic beverage alternatives. My curiosity quickly turned into action: within a week of my first kombucha batch, I created a brand, printed labels, wrote a business plan, and outlined an operating budget. I couldn't resist diving into the details of the potential of turning this hobby into a business.

To make the most of this energy and process, I decided to share my journey. This way, I can illustrate the questions and steps I take for both my clients and myself. If you are interested in this full series, please check out the related posts.

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Finding a name is always an interesting process for any brand. It is sort of a spaghetti-on-the-wall exercise. 

Some people already know the mood or have a few immediate ideas of what they want to call their product or business. Other people have no idea. Some have an idea, but they might be a little…off.

I like to walk through a few thought experiments to help brainstorm and evaluate all of the ideas on the table. At the end of the day, you always know the name when you hear it. My advice is to keep trying, whether it is just the name or the logo, until you undeniably know you found it. 

These are the first questions that I feel are important to answer when developing a brand name:

What are three businesses that you consider your biggest competition/influences?

I think that competition should always be considered a source of inspiration. You are quantifying them as “threatening” which means they are doing things that you admire. Keeping this mindset is valuable because, at the end of the day, you need healthy competition to continue growing and adapting your business.

• Muri | LINK

• Ama Brewery | LINK

• Unified Ferments | LINK

What are three things your product/brand is not? Why?

• Alcohol

• Fruit Forward

• Granola/Health Goth

What do you want people to recognize your product/brand for?

• Finely crafted

• Not a replacement for wine but a reimagined drinking ritual

• Sharable

• Complex

What are three words that define your product/brand? Why?

From here, it is great to refer to a mind map exercise to pinpoint these words. There are many ways you can utilize a mind map, but at this stage, I think it is most important to just focus on words that embody your intentions without any other prompts or focus. This process helps identify the vibe you should be generating with your brand name.

1. Progressive

2. Ceremonial

3. Multifaceted

This left me in a great place to start outlining options to name my brand. I know that the intentions behind the brand are to generate modern drinking rituals and meaningful discourse. 

My name ideation was focused on an impetus to gather:

• Siren

• Brood

• Innate

• Beacon

• Esoteric

• Rougarou - from Cajun folklore, this beast is often described as having the body of a man and the head of a wolf or a dog and prowls Louisiana swamps looking for misbehaving children

The process of fermentation is a theme I hope to emulate in the ritual of hospitality and connection when the kombucha is shared. This all felt a little esoteric, but I thought it would be interesting to lean into that idea.

When I think of esotericism, I immediately think about one of my favorite television shows, Twin Peaks. I have multiple Twin Peaks tattoos, and it is a series that I revisit. To follow this trail a bit, I read an essay I found a few years ago by writer Zora Burden for a special edition of The Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture.

After rereading the essay, I had a few more sources for inspiration:

• Taoist spiritual alchemy

• Enlightenment

• Carl Jung’s book The Undiscovered Self

• Surrealism

• Qi, the eternal fire

• Tulpa

Tulpa immediately struck me. I like the way it rolls off the tongue, Tulpa Kombucha. The word tulpa has an origin from Tibetan Buddhism, where tulpas are materialized beings or thoughtforms of monks who do not reach nirvana. Many people think of imaginary friends as tulpas. The idea that someone can actualize a physical being from intense concentration resonates with me. 

Personally, I have been repeating an intention, "your life consists of what you pay attention to" and this all seemed aligned. Particularly, the idea that people have an innate self but make accommodations to be accepted by others. 

It is this focus (concentration) to develop an accepted identity that brings on anxiety. One of the intentions of this brand is to renegotiate the rituals of gathering and drinking, so selecting a name for the brand that, in itself, is a conversation starter felt appropriate. 

The modern drinking rituals proposed by Tulpa Kombucha are to gather and ruminate, discuss, and process. 

Now the fun part, developing a visual identity for this new brand.