Born 125 years ago from a legendary spring in the mountains of Mexico, Topo Chico has always been a source of discovery. However, when it initially expanded to the U.S. market it lost its unique Mexican heritage in the brand expression. They challenged us to power a local icon as it jumped across borders to become a billion-dollar brand, without losing its authenticity. It was time to unify both markets with a brand personality and design prepared to take on the world. To be versatile enough to engage meaningfully across passion verticals like music, art, food, and fashion.

We created a brand that lives outside the bottle and is owned by fans. We crafted a strong idea rooted in Topo Chico's rich history and purpose to unify both markets: have the brand be “a source of discovery.” This means the brand should always be a gateway for consumers to discover something authentic. Topo Chico's unique brand world connects with loyal fans through shared values.

To keep the brand authentic – accepted by local cultures, and globally recognizable – we created a versatile, coherent, and flexible visual system. We rebranded Topo Chico’s core assets and signature colors to maximize its true icon potential. By creating new contextual assets, sourced from the brand’s visual heritage, we empowered the creation of powerful and distinctive rituals around the brand and their communication. For Topo Chico to unify in new markets, a traditional asset management system would not work. So, we hand-crafted a new, bespoke asset management system where context defines the role of the brand assets to grow through earned brand love, without losing coherency across markets.

Topo Chico’s presence in the USA has already exploded. In 2016, it was only present in 30 states. Now it can be purchased in all 50 states. Standing out in the category is hard but embracing yellow has shown a 30% increase in differentiation against competitors. By enhancing unmistakable assets, we permitted the innovation portfolio to go beyond sparkling water. The brand is ready to grow in the $303 billion carbonated beverage category, with flavored drinks and hard seltzers. Topo Chico is forecasted to double their growth numbers in 2023 following our rebrand.

“The work was so successful that it triggered conversations about future product innovations and new design work streams.” – Camila Moletta, The Coca-Cola Company LATAM