While It Was Important for Rachel to Cater Her Product to the Local Audience

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To be successful she knew that her small business had to come from the heart. In this way, the work would fill her with pride day in and day out. “For me, these dessert flavors are significant because they represent cultural as well as regional pride,” Rachel says. “Sure, chocolate and strawberry donuts will always be classic favorites, but when you have a chance to integrate a piece of your culture into mainstream food culture, there is so much power in that. Representation is empowering.” As part of our Bay Made documentary series, we spoke to Rachel at her shop in San Jose about how her culture and the local city inspired her small business. Watch and learn more about Mochinut on YouTube now. With culture at the forefront of Mochinut’s business model, it was imperative to infuse this into all aspects of the brand, from the logo to the branded merchandise to the grand opening event. In order to bring her ideas to life, she started a logo design contest and connected with designer Adneras.

The logo Adneras created also established the basic colors and fonts for the visual identity, from which Rachel was able to create branding merchandise in the form of employee t-shirts, storefront banners and stickers. Logo design for Small business Mochinut, a pink and blue seal feature vintage typography Logo design by Adneras The time had come to prepare for the grand opening event, and Rachel worked with the designer Distinguish♐︎ to further develop the visual identity into signage. The event was held in background remove service February of this year, and in addition to handing out branded stickers, t-shirts, and tote bags, Rachel was able to introduce herself and connect to the local community. Photo of the Mochinut staff standing under their grand opening signage The Mochinut team at their grand opening event It is these kinds of personal interactions that fuel Rachel’s passion as a business owner. “Small business is important for communities because when you support small businesses you support your community,” she says.



It also strengthens the bond of consumer and business owner on a more personal level. I really enjoy chatting with the locals who live or work nearby or those who are just visiting. I’m happy when I see folks who come back to visit or when I get to hear how someone’s day is going. I enjoy hearing about all the fun events people are attending in the area and I’m just grateful that people take the time to stop by.” Small business is important for communities because when you support small businesses you support your community. It also strengthens the bond of consumer and business owner on a more personal level. - Rachel Aquino, founder of Mochinut Tips for producing a memorable grand opening — So what can other small business owners take from Mochinut’s example? If you’re looking to produce branding merchandise for a stellar grand opening, Rachel’s experience can provide some key insight. 1. Create a visual brand identity The first step is to create a visual brand identity (the color scheme, fonts and imagery) along with a logo design. This was exactly where Rachel started.