Gem 73
The best thing about great wine isn’t the wine.
Our Role
Website Design & Development
Photography & Content Production
Social Media
PR & Communications
Launch Strategy & Event Development
Culture Building
Brand Strategy & Design
Creative Direction
Branding & Identity
Packaging Design
Campaign Development
Customer & Guest Experience
Environmental Design
Perched above 62 acres of vines in Idaho's Sunnyslope Wine Region, Gem 73 is a winery built around a simple belief: the best part of wine is who you share it with.
Founded by longtime friends Joel and Teresa Poppen and Jay and Shelly Hawkins, Gem 73 pairs exceptional Idaho wines with thoughtful hospitality and experiences designed to bring people together. With acclaimed winemaker Greg Koenig leading winemaking and architectural design, the ambition was never just another tasting room. It was a place where people come as they are, stay longer than planned, and leave with more than a bottle.
Gem 73 brought the wine. We built the brand around what they were really offering: time well spent.
The Opportunity
A new winery. An old playbook.
The wine industry is at a crossroads. Consumption is declining, younger audiences are drinking differently, and traditional wine culture isn't necessarily inviting new people in.
Meanwhile, in Idaho's Sunnyslope Wine Region, four friends were building something ambitious: a remarkable winery with exceptional wines, a spectacular setting, and a vision for bringing people together.
They had a name. An identity. Even a brand guide.
But something wasn't connecting.
The existing brand looked and sounded like a winery. The problem? Gem 73 didn't want to be like every other winery.
What began as a brand evaluation became an opportunity to challenge category conventions and build something around what people actually come together for.
Not just the wine. Everything that happens around it.
The Research
What if the wine wasn't the point?
Before designing anything, we dug in.
We audited the existing brand, studied Idaho's wine landscape, and explored shifting consumer behaviors and expectations.
Wine had a playbook. Beautiful landscapes. Romantic storytelling. Terroir, craftsmanship, tradition. Plenty of brands were telling variations of the same story.
Meanwhile, people were seeking more meaningful experiences, even as their relationship with alcohol was changing. Historically exclusive categories were finding new relevance by making participation more accessible.
And Gem 73's founders already understood something important. Their favorite moments from years of travel and learning about wine weren't about the vintage or varietal. They were about long conversations, unexpected friendships, and afternoons that turned into evenings.
That became our strategic unlock.
We're not selling wine. We're selling connection.
Not a tagline. A philosophy to inform the entire business.
We recommended starting fresh with the identity, messaging, and brand experience—building everything around the vision rather than trying to make the existing brand fit.
The Solution
Build a brand people could feel.
We set out to create a winery brand that didn't require people to know anything about wine to feel like they belonged.
Sophisticated without being stuffy. Playful without being frivolous. Rooted in place without relying on familiar wine-country tropes.
And there was already a meaningful story hiding in the name.
In early telegraph and amateur radio communication, 73 became shorthand for all the best—a simple expression of goodwill sent from one person to another.
An analog gesture of connection across distance. The perfect foundation for a brand that values people over pretension, moments over ratings, and what's inside over what's on the label.
From there, our role expanded far beyond traditional branding. We became creative partners in nearly every aspect of bringing Gem 73 to life.
Because a brand built on connection had to do more than talk about it: It had to create it.
01 / The Foundation
A brand worth gathering around.
We reimagined Gem 73 from the ground up, creating an identity and voice as unexpected and welcoming as the experience its founders envisioned.
Inspired by analog communication, shared experiences, and a little nostalgia, the result was warm, expressive, and distinctly different from traditional winery branding.
Brand identity and voice
Drawing inspiration from vintage radio signals, telegraph codes, and analog communication, we developed a visual identity, color palette, typography, and voice that felt both nostalgic and refreshingly modern. The system celebrated the art of connection, with unexpected details and messaging that put people and shared experiences ahead of traditional wine conventions.
Lines like “We're not into labels” and “'Til we break again” brought a little humor, poetry, and personality to the brand—subtle nods to its origins and reminders that the best connections happen beyond the glass
Wine labels and packaging
Even the bottles became an opportunity to challenge convention.
We developed labels and packaging that gave each release its own personality while building a cohesive family of wines. Tasting notes like “Pairs Well With Loud Laughter, Real Talk, And Refills” and names like Tell Me More, Through the Side Door, and Like Soul Mates reinforced the idea that wine is a starting point for something more.
02 / The Invitation
Building a following before opening the doors.
Launching a winery is complicated. Launching one before it can operate like a traditional winery takes a different kind of creativity.
Rather than waiting for a grand opening, we helped create ways for people to experience the brand early, build relationships, and become part of its story.
The Pop-Ins
We developed intimate, invitation-driven experiences that introduced Gem 73 through the very thing it stood for: bringing people together.
These early gatherings built awareness and relationships before the winery could fully welcome the public.
A brand in the wild
We established Gem 73's digital presence through website development, social media, and photography that brought the brand's perspective to life.
Instead of defaulting to vineyard landscapes and bottle beauty shots, we emphasized people, moments, textures, and the feeling of being there.
Making an entrance
We supported launch communications, event planning, and early PR, introducing Gem 73 to media, community leaders, and potential guests.
The October 2026 ribbon cutting was a milestone. But the larger strategy was always about creating reasons to return, not just reasons to show up once.
03 / The Experience
Connection, by design.
If connection was the brand's promise, it needed to show up in the experience—not just the marketing.
We helped bring that philosophy into the physical space, guest journey, and details people might not expect from a winery.
Spaces that start conversations
From interior brand installations to unexpected moments throughout the winery, we helped shape an environment that encourages people to explore, interact, and linger.
Interactive displays, sensory experiences, and analog-inspired installations invite guests to participate rather than simply observe.
Not your average winery merch
Instead of defaulting to logoed hats and T-shirts, we explored objects that extend the brand's philosophy beyond the vineyard.
Conversation cards, custom knit blankets, and other tactile, analog-inspired pieces encourage real-world interaction and create keepsakes with meaning.
The little things are the big things
From conversation prompts and participatory activations to thoughtful hospitality details, every touchpoint became an opportunity to reinforce the same idea: the most memorable part of a visit isn't always what's in the glass.
04 / The Culture
Living the brand, not just looking the part.
A hospitality brand is only as strong as the experience its people deliver.
We worked with the Gem 73 team on culture-building ideas, hospitality standards, employee experience, and the practical details that turn a brand promise into everyday behavior.
Hospitality with intention
Inspired by unreasonable hospitality, we helped develop Generous Extra Moments—small, thoughtful gestures that turn ordinary interactions into memorable experiences.
From team recognition to empowering employees to create unexpected moments, the goal was to make connection something the team could actively practice.
Every detail tells the story
Our partnership extended into everything from employee wardrobe and event planning to sourcing, setup, and the countless decisions involved in opening a hospitality business.
Some of the work was strategic. Some decidedly hands-on.
All of it served the same vision.
Because building a brand isn't just about creating the right identity. It's about helping a team deliver on it.
When strategy delivers.
73/73
Sold out founding membership within 30 days.
26
Prelaunch events, all sold out.
200+
Members to date.
Gem 73 makes wine. But it is in the business of people. A winery that can be rare without feeling remote, polished without feeling precious, and deeply rooted in its place while remaining open to anyone ready to pull up a chair.