Regularly proving themselves to be masters in visual identity and packaging design for others, Wedge have expressed their entrepreneurial spirit in devising a new experience for themselves, as well as those that closely admire their craft. Appropriately named ‘Collaboration 001’, the Montreal-based creative studio has linked up with artisanal spirits company Entre Pierre et Terre, with whom they work with on their own products, to produce a delightful duo of natural cidres.

With beauty, experimentation and trust at its core, Partner and Creative Director at Wedge, Sarah Di Domenico, talks us through the practical side of how the collaboration came to be: “they (Entre Pierre et Terre) were referred to Wedge by a supplier we often collaborate with. Long story short, Wedge Founder, Justin, drove two hours outside the city to meet them. He shows up for this job and realises the most humble and honest couple is running this cidrerie by themselves. Nothing corporate here. No machine, pure passion. They had an instant connection, and after chatting for hours (and drinking a bit), Justin saw their obsession. The most delicious drink deserves a beautiful label, and it was clear that they needed a better answer.” The meeting proved to be the start of a rather fruitful relationship, which has since seen Entre Pierre et Terre’s beverages sell out three times faster than the previous year, with many new flavours and resulting designs in the pipeline.

“It’s cidre made from fermented apple juice and nothing else,” Di Domenico reveals about the makeup of Wedge and the ciderie’s collaboration. “No added sulphites, unfiltered, all-natural.” Each batch is fermented in large barrels for a minimum of one year, allowing it to ‘transform’. “Once bottled, the fermentation continues. That’s why you have to keep the product very cold,” Di Domenico tells us, further explaining that if you don’t, it’ll be “cidre everywhere!” as “it’s extremely carbonated. It’s alive.” And “technically, the longer you keep it unopened, the more its nature transforms. How poetic.”

The cidres’ packaging reflects the handcrafted, personal nature of the product within through a series of intentionally elementary, Marimekko-inspired drawings. “Many fun illustrations were left on the cutting room floor,” Di Domenico reveals, but it’s the ‘flower apple’ drawn by Wedge Design Lead Ariane Leblanc that takes centre stage on the labels. Paired with Wedge’s serif logotype, the drawing provides the packaging with an honest simplicity that perfectly captures the organic spirit of the collaboration. “It was a collective process that started with this idea of naïveté meets elegance, because the cidre itself starts so simple, with just an apple, and yet is meticulously crafted,” Di Domenico tells us.

Packaged as a pair, the cidres are shipped out wrapped in a delicate layer of floral tissue, contributing to a tactile unboxing experience alongside a handwritten ‘hello’. “We want our first release to be intimate and special for those who are able to receive one,” Di Domenico tells us, adding that “it comes at a time in the year when we in Montreal head into a second lockdown due to COVID. At this moment, we hope these editions provide a bit of joy to the receiver.”

In addition to a pre-release sent out to close friends and collaborators of the studio, a limited-edition, privately-sold run of the cidres sold out within 24 hours of becoming available. Make sure to follow @wedgestudio for news on future releases of the cidres and beyond. “We will be continuing limited-edition collaborations through the future. Unplanned and planned. We like to leave space for the unknown,” Di Domenico concludes.

Wedge