Broken Rules. Crooked Spoons.
Some brands play it safe. Crooked Spoon is not one of those brands.
Formerly known as Acme Valley Ice Cream, this Bellingham-based company (just a couple hours north of my Seattle home) has officially reemerged with a new name, a new look and a whole lot more attitude. I was lucky enough to help develop the freezing-cool tone of voice for their rebrand—and it’s as thick, rich and unapologetically indulgent as the ice cream itself.
And when I say thick, I mean it. Crooked Spoon ice cream has been known to literally bend spoons with its density. There’s no air injected into these pints—just pure, full-fat, full-sugar, full-flavor ice cream that takes itself exactly as seriously as it should. Which is to say: not very. That’s why Crooked Spoon is the ONLY full-strength ice cream.
A Project Good Enough to Lick
It basically made my year to be asked to work on this project as part of the extended Interact team. The Interact Brands crew from Boulder, CO led the project with razor-sharp strategy and the name change. Then I got to come in to develop the tone and all the copywriting that came with it: packaging, website, the works.
The Perfect (Mis)fit
You see, Crooked Spoon isn’t trying to be everyone’s cup of (ice) cream. They’re here for the bold. The curious. The flavor fiends who prefer their scoops a little left of center. The new voice we created—The Perfect (Mis)fit—celebrates exactly that.
This brand knows it’s a little offbeat, and that’s exactly what makes it great. Because in a freezer full of sameness, Crooked Spoon stands out by leaning in. It’s self-aware. It’s slightly rebellious. And it’s proof that “different” doesn’t just taste good—it’s downright delicious.
The Manifesto
Here’s the heart (and hilariously indulgent soul) of the new brand.
EVERYTHING is better when it’s a little bit crooked. When it’s slightly off-center and stretches outside the lines. Because straight lines are nothing more than boundaries, and we don’t care for those. We’d rather do things our own way—the delightfully deviant, intensely indulgent, stomachache-be-damned kind of way. We are Crooked Spoon, and we do ice cream so rich and so right that it’s almost wrong.
BUT don’t be alarmed. Different is delicious, and every spoon-bending bite of our uncommonly creamy ice cream proves it. We make it with the best ingredients and pack them in so tight that there’s no room for air or error. It’s every ounce as dense and decadent as you deserve. There’s no need to be shy or to share. Being crooked means never having to say “I’m sorry.”
ORDINARY is overrated and has no place in our pints. So, let’s have some fun and have a scoop of the most un-ice-cream ice cream you’ve ever laid your lips on. We dare you eat it with a straight face.
Crooked Spoon
EVERYTHING BUT ORDINARY
Can I Try a Sample (of the Copy)?
Sure can. Read on, dessert fan.
BLUEBERRY: OUR FRESHEST PICK
We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the crooked way. But if we’re being honest, we wouldn’t even know how to fake flavor this fresh. You get the real-real in every pint of our lusciously bold Blueberry ice cream: ripe, sweet blueberries picked in the Pacific NW. Cream sourced from local farms. And a stretchy texture so unorthodox, it’s practically its own religion.
GUILT ISN’T IN OUR VOCABULARY.
It’s not on our ingredient list either.
SAFE FOR THOSE WHO ARE ORDINARY-INTOLERANT.
MANY SPOONS HAVE TRIED. ONLY THE STRONG SUCCEED.
AIR NEVER MADE ANYONE’S MOUTH WATER.
The only full-strength ice cream. No air added.
YOU CAN GET A STOMACHACHE FROM ANY ICE CREAM.
At least ours makes it worth it.
Final Thoughts
Rebrands can be tricky, but this one? Smooth as churned cream (with just the right amount of mischief).
Welcome to the freezer aisle, Crooked Spoon—you’re exactly the kind of weird we’ve been waiting for. And for anybody reading this, get a taste of this stupid-good ice cream here. And HUGE thanks to Interact for having me along for the ride. You da besssss!