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THE BRAND STORY
A proud Scottish brand with its roots in family history.
We are proud of our branding and brand identity because every aspect has been carefully chosen for a reason. Not dreamt up by a marketing agency but because it has personal significance to our founder, Joan Robertson.
Our branding is industrial, gritty, and Scottish.
The Background
Hamilton and Morris were Margaret Hamilton and George Morris, Joan’s Great Grandparents. They lived in the great industrial heartland of Scotland, among vast coal fields and huge steel mills. George was a coal miner and Maggie a domestic servant. They married on New Years Eve, 1909. By the time war came, they had three children. Despite being excused from active duty because of his job, George enlisted to fight for his country. He survived three years at the front. On 31st July 1917, George went over the top to fight in the first day of battle for Pilkem Ridge at Ypres. He never made it back. Agonisingly for the family, his body was never recovered. He lies there still in Flanders Fields. Maggie was left a widow with three young children and no way to support themselves. She went on to marry again and have a further four children, one of whom died in infancy. Tragically, her second husband also died prematurely, leaving her alone again to fend for herself and her children. Thankfully, she lived out life to an old age with her third husband by her side. Despite the tragedies she bore in her life, she endured them with dignity, grit, and fortitude.
George, far right, with members of his regiment.
An elderly Margaret, second right, at a family wedding.
The Branding
The brand had to be industrialised, to reflect industrial Scotland and coalmining. The industrial stamp logo was born. The overall look had to be turn of last century. The fonts used on our labelling are from that time. The brown paper wrapping of the candles reflects how goods were wrapped at that time. No frills, just utilitarian. Our product photography is deliberately stark with no props. No frills, just transparency. This is our product; we think it speaks for itself.
Why Gaelic?
Gaelic is Scotland’s native language, part of our cultural heritage. And like our industrial heritage, our language is at risk of dying out too. In danger of being confined to museums as a relic of our past. Featuring it on our labels, makes our customers stop and think, try it out for size, tentatively ask about pronunciation. A small glimmer of hope but still a glimmer.
