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Summary


Luchata is a ready-to-drink horchata concept developed with Marco LeMair. We saw a gap between traditional horchata and the modern beverage shelf: plant-based drinks were growing, but packaged horchata still felt heavy, overly sweet, or hard to find. I helped shape the product through research, tasting feedback, packaging exploration, and brand prototyping.

The Problems


1. Ready-to-drink horchata is underrepresented in the packaged beverage market.

2. Fresh horchata has a short shelf life and spoils quickly, making it hard to enjoy on the go.

3. Many packaged options rely on condensed milk and high sugar, creating a heavier product than what many modern consumers want.

The Solution


Create a dairy-free, ready-to-drink horchata that preserves the flavor and cultural familiarity of the original while fitting the expectations of a modern beverage product: portable, shelf-aware, visually clear, and easy to understand at retail.

Process


We started with market research across plant-based drinks, canned coffee, aguas frescas, and packaged horchata. The goal was to understand pricing, shelf language, packaging formats, and where a fresher horchata product could stand apart.

We hosted a tasting with over 30 attendees and collected feedback on sweetness, texture, flavor balance, and packaging perception.

The responses informed the next round of product decisions, including sweetness level, mouthfeel, ingredient positioning, and brand tone.

We explored ingredient sourcing and production constraints to understand what would be realistic beyond a kitchen prototype.

We tested bottle formats, label proportions, and shelf presence to find a package that felt practical and recognizable.

I iterated on the visual system across color, typography, logo marks, and label hierarchy.

I built 3D mockups in Blender to evaluate scale, material, and how the packaging would photograph for launch assets.

The final direction balances cultural familiarity with a sharper contemporary system. The packaging uses clear product cues, warm flavor signals, and a flexible identity that can support future flavors.

Project:
Luchata

Type:
Branding / Product Research

Role:
Co-Founder, Product Designer

Skills:
Product Research, Packaging Design, Brand Systems, 3D Prototyping

Team:
Marco LeMair

Date Completed:
May 2025