Horchata. Reimagined.

Horchata is an ancestral drink born in North Africa around the 11th century. It traveled across the world, becoming essential to Spanish, Mexican, and West African cuisines. Plant-based by nature, it can be made from tiger nuts (Spain and West Africa), jícaro, melon, or white rice (Mexico), and seasoned with ginger, cinnamon, coffee, cocoa, sesame, and countless other ingredients. Each version tells a culinary story of the ingenuity and resourcefulness of those who came before us.

Honoring this rich and ancient culture, Gretel & Belle launched the UK's first horchata collection, each flavor celebrating an African culture: Kunu Horchata (Nigeria), Cocoa Horchata (Ivory Coast), and Coffee Horchata (Ethiopia). The drinks are made with the finest organic Valencian tiger nuts, grown by farmers who have preserved traditional techniques for generations. It is a slower, more labor-intensive process that helps care for the environment and protect biodiversity.

The packaging is minimal: black and cream, plus an accent color for each flavor. On each label, an abstract geometric composition works as a symbolic talisman, with subtle references to the culture it honors.

The Nigerian Horchata Alchemy

Here I sought a balance between the abstract and the figurative. Light, feminine geometric structures evoke the fluidity and circularity of the brand and, combined with figurative elements, tell the story of horchata's alchemy. Honoring the making of the drink means honoring its cultural and culinary legacy, its wealth of ingredients, and above all the knowledge gathered over countless generations.

At the center is the yellow trumpet flower (Costus spectabilis), Nigeria's national flower and a symbol of the country's beauty, uniqueness, and prosperity.

Gretel & Belle Kunu Horchata can with a geometric talisman in orange and black.

The Solar Cocoa

Following the language of the Kunu illustration, the cocoa version celebrates fluidity, flavor, and smoothness, qualities of horchata itself. The outer structure takes the shape of a cocoa seed, like a portal. At its center, the cocoa fruit is surrounded by branches that evoke the tree, from which the flavors and aromas of this singular ingredient radiate. Above, the stylized cocoa flower unfolds in ornamental branches. Rays of light pay homage to the Ivory Coast, known for its rich culture and its solar Bété people.

Gretel & Belle Cocoa Horchata can with a geometric talisman in purple and black.

The Craftsmanship of Coffee

Ethiopia is more than the birthplace of coffee: it is one of humanity's great granaries of knowledge. This illustration honors coffee and its artisanal making, along with the objects of the country's traditional coffee ceremony. Lines radiate from the base of the pestle at the center, like tributary rivers, roots, or fields seen from above, expressing cultural diffusion and the role of time in the making of everything meant to last. The sun, in its many forms, guides travelers and stands among the central symbols of Ethiopian culture.

Gretel & Belle Coffee Horchata can with a geometric talisman in green and black.

Gretel & Belle horchata cans arranged on a stone surface, seen from above.

Gretel & Belle cans beside glasses of horchata, spices, and tiger nuts.

Three Gretel & Belle horchata cans on stone pedestals with tiger nuts.

Gretel & Belle cans beside a glass of cocoa horchata.

Gretel & Belle cans with glasses of horchata, ginger, cinnamon, and nuts.

Horchata being poured from a Gretel & Belle can into a glass.

Coffee horchata pouring into a glass beside a Gretel & Belle can.

Creative Direction, Illustration: Fabio Issao
Photography, Motion Graphics: Juancho Otaola

Year: 2022

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