Advise Please: Looking for honest opinions about our company name

[Jwatson355]

Awesome view points from all and I really appreciate it. From a marketing stand point its super interesting to see and I totally get all opinions. I like to compare the marketing to Black rifle. They are very much so pro 2nd amendment which when they started this it was under Obama and lots of left wing gun haters were everywhere. Or maybe just more so than today. They made some amazing commercials mocking them. Not that I wanna mock Mormons but it made me love black rifle more because of their deliberate marketing for their believes. But as mentioned earlier, if I'm questioning it, I have a hunch it might need a switch.

 

[Jwatson355]

I am sorry but I still think there is a huge market for this brand. I am a practicing non theist and see no issue with it. If anything it grabs ones attention. I remember a coffee shop in the 90's called holy grounds. I walked in and it was a coffee shop during the week and sundays it was a church. I never went back. From when I stepped in till when I left they really pushed their beliefs on me. If I had known it was such a religious place I wouldn't have gone. They did not last long.

I do as well. Tweeks and adjustments though

 

[Jwatson355]

Just posted in the buy and sell forum with a 50% discount to forum members.

 

[MadMaximal]

You must understand that the word Sinner carries some negative connotations. Unless people know the story behind the name they won't understand why you called the company that way

 

[shadow745]

You must understand that the word Sinner carries some negative connotations. Unless people know the story behind the name they won't understand why you called the company that way

I'm pretty certain the OP understands that, but I personally wouldn't worry too much about it as in business you will never please everybody regardless of what you do.

 

[MntnMan62]

I don't think the word Sinner in the name of a coffee or a coffee company will have any measurable negative impact. Anyone who finds the word Sinner offensive are probably not buying much coffee anyway. And if they are, they're buying preground supermarket coffee. That's not the market the OP is going after. The name is fine. I like it. That's all that matters. LOL.

 

[JDbrews1742]

Through not only the name of your brand but also its iconography, you are squarely taking it into the realm of theological statement. Some will find humor, others will be, as ever, incapable. But all will be pushed to negotiate their relationship to your product on the basis of a reference that’s external to coffee. If I were contemplating branding, I would ask myself if I wanted to politicize (or, in this case, “religiocize”) my company brand in such a way, which runs the risk of having it valued (or not!) on some basis other than the qualities of the coffees.

Rather than the specific question of whether or not you’ll lose holders of a particular religious worldview from your customer base, the bigger questions you’re really asking are:

1. Will the direct confluence of love of coffee and religious/theological worldview caused by our branding (uniquely) bring us and sustain for us a customer base significant enough to stay in business?

2. Will the quality of our beans be the real driving force behind our success (or failure), or will the branding and/or theological message?

3. Do we want to be sure to teach a lesson about hypocrisy through selling our beans, or are we content to poke playful fun at it through our branding?

I know there are (neutrally named) craft beer brewers who playfully bring the devil into their branding of specific products (I believe I’ve seen a Route 666 Devil’s ale, for example). I wonder whether there are any you could reach out to for their experiences and advice.

For what it’s worth, this one non-religious person who would happily try Route 666 ale just because the name is such an attractive and funny pun would probably not go out of his way to purchase your coffee from among the many in a sea of excellent beans out there, just because your company and product names and iconography seem so heavy-handed. (Now, “Hypocrite’s Blend”…that’s another story!)

Best wishes for your success!

 

[MntnMan62]

Through not only the name of your brand but also its iconography, you are squarely taking it into the realm of theological statement. Some will find humor, others will be, as ever, incapable. But all will be pushed to negotiate their relationship to your product on the basis of a reference that’s external to coffee. If I were contemplating branding, I would ask myself if I wanted to politicize (or, in this case, “religiocize”) my company brand in such a way, which runs the risk of having it valued (or not!) on some basis other than the qualities of the coffees.

Rather than the specific question of whether or not you’ll lose holders of a particular religious worldview from your customer base, the bigger questions you’re really asking are:

1. Will the direct confluence of love of coffee and religious/theological worldview caused by our branding (uniquely) bring us and sustain for us a customer base significant enough to stay in business?

2. Will the quality of our beans be the real driving force behind our success (or failure), or will the branding and/or theological message?

3. Do we want to be sure to teach a lesson about hypocrisy through selling our beans, or are we content to poke playful fun at it through our branding?

I know there are (neutrally named) craft beer brewers who playfully bring the devil into their branding of specific products (I believe I’ve seen a Route 666 Devil’s ale, for example). I wonder whether there are any you could reach out to for their experiences and advice.

For what it’s worth, this one non-religious person who would happily try Route 666 ale just because the name is such an attractive and funny pun would probably not go out of his way to purchase your coffee from among the many in a sea of excellent beans out there, just because your company and product names and iconography seem so heavy-handed. (Now, “Hypocrite’s Blend”…that’s another story!)

Best wishes for your success!

I can understand your saying you would not go out of your way to purchase this coffee since there are literally a gazillion brands of large and small roaster coffees. However, it's a niche business anyway. A new roaster would be kidding themselves if they think they are going to become as big as Intelligencia or La Colombe. However, if Sinner Coffee is truly excellent and a superior product over many or most others on the market, it won't matter what the name is. I think the micro coffee roasting business itself is quite niche and goes after a type of buyer who is a little bit rough around the edges, progressive, hipster, young and tend to be less religious than seeking that quality cup of coffee over everything else. But then again I don't have a coffee business, or any business at the moment, so what do I know?

 

[PinkRose]

It will be interesting to find out how the Sinner Coffee Company is doing two or three years from now. A name change and rebranding may be in it's future.
We'll just have to wait and see.