Top Shelf Foods

Company or website name

Top Shelf Foods

Describe your company and organization and target audience

We are a startup company offering gourmet freeze-dried meals and snacks. Freeze drying is a method of preserving food that not only preserves the nutrition of the food, but also offers a 25-year shelf life. Neither canning nor dehydration come anywhere close to this (both provide only a 2-year shelf life).

Our target audience includes:

1. Preppers -- people who stockpile food in anticipation of a catastrophe or societal/economic collapse.
2. Hikers/Campers -- people who want delicious meals they can easily pack and prepare in the wilderness.
3. High School/College kids -- students on the go who enjoy the novelty of freeze dried ice cream sandwiches and candies.

Although we aren't the first freeze dryers in the market, our differentiator is in the quality-- hence the name, "Top Shelf". The top shelf is where grandma would store the best, highest-quality foods. Although not germane to our business, "Top Shelf" is also a nod to one of the owners' 13 years as a hockey mom. "Top Shelf" in hockey refers to the area of the goal between the top bar of the net and the goalie's shoulders. If you score in this area it is a "top shelf" goal. I would focus on the food aspect of this logo (not the hockey reference), but thought that bit of information on why we named it so might help.

The way freeze drying works --

1. Food is placed on a metal tray and placed in the freeze dryer.

2. The freeze dryer lowers the temperature to sub-zero temperatures, freezing the food.

3. The machine then extracts all of the moisture through a vacuum pump.

4. While the vacuum is extracting all of the moisture from the chamber, the machine increases in temperature so any remaining water vaporizes.

This results in food completely devoid of moisture, and weight can be reduced by up to 90%.

Some foods can be consumed in this form without rehydrating, such as candies, ice cream sandwiches, dried fruits, etc. 

Other foods would be rehydrated, such as soups, stews, meal kits, meats, and veggies.

The design should have the following

We are not super creative in this area, which is why we need YOU. :)

The logo might incorporate an actual shelf, it might be words with a food element incorporated somehow (maybe a mylar pouch or a snowflake?)

We are open to ideas!

Ultimately we are trying to convey what we offer (freeze dried foods) and evoke a sense of higher quality than our competitors.

We also would like it to have some sort of graphical element -- not just typography. :)

This logo will be used for

• Online (Website, facebook etc.)
• Print (business cards, letterheads, brochures etc.)
• Merchandise (mugs, t-shirts etc.)
• Signs (including shops, billboards etc.)

This design should not have this in the entries

The logo should not be primarily green -- though some green in it is fine.

The logo should not include clip art. We want something unique and not something we could do ourselves.

What style of logo would you like?

Colors to use in the design

Completely open to suggestion.

Briefly describe your contest

Logo design contest for a freeze-dry meal/snack company