The Brief
Tree Time did not start as a new client. It started as a new idea from one we have been building with for years. MRC first partnered with Wye Hill Kitchen and Brewing on the full restaurant brand identity, messaging, and visual system. Then came beer labels, a monogram, and brewery-specific branding as the business evolved. So when the team behind Wye Hill Hospitality decided to launch a premium THC seltzer brand, we were already fluent in their world.
Tree Time came to us with a name, a product, and limited initial branding. The scope was focused: design packaging for a launch lineup of culinary-inspired THC seltzers that could hold its own on a shelf and scale as the product line grew. Budget was a factor, so every decision had to count. The challenge was not starting from scratch. It was extending a visual language strategically, making smart choices now that would still work five flavors from now.
The Work
We extended the color palette to give each flavor its own identity while keeping the full lineup visually connected. Custom iconography was developed to showcase ingredients on each can, adding an informational layer that feels designed rather than clinical. We refined the layout and made subtle adjustments to the brand marks we received, bringing consistency and shelf presence to a product entering a fast-growing, increasingly crowded category.
The result is packaging that feels premium, calm, and intentional. It perfectly matches the brand’s ethos: you have permission to chill. Every detail, from color to type to the ingredient icons on the side, was made with expansion in mind. New flavors, new dosages, and new SKUs can all slot into the system without a redesign. That was the whole point.
The Relationship
Tree Time is the latest chapter in a partnership that began with a restaurant on the iconic Boylan Bridge in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, and has since expanded to include brewery branding, beer labels, the Glasshouse Kitchen website, and now a nationally distributed THC beverage. When a client trusts you with every evolution of their business, the work gets better every time.
