A few people have asked us where we came up with our logo. Perhaps unsurprisingly the idea was drawn from Yellowknife's history of mining and mine patches. We asked local historian Ryan Silke for some inspiration and he sent us a few photos of patches that miners and their families would wear on their clothing.
The following is a brief explanation of the patches by local historian Ryan Silke:
The gold mines of Yellowknife, and the camps that grew to house workers and their families, were communities to themselves, populated by citizens that took pride in their identity. As a natural result, they exercised a friendly rivalry with other mining camps, manifested most often in competitive sports - hockey, baseball, and curling. Uniforms and jackets distributed by the mine's recreation clubs to their citizens, often of the leather 'teamster'-style with embroidered patch, so common of the 1950s generation, were worn around town to show off one's association with a particular mine or its sport team. 'Grizzlies', 'Cougars', 'Hogans', 'Huskies', 'Indians', or popular local business brands such as 'Frame and Perkins' or 'Lanky's Angels' represented the elite athletes of Yellowknife in its earliest years.
After speaking with Ryan we met and discussed these ideas with former Yellowknifer Andrew Hall. He immediately got to work and drafted a logo that would be reminiscent of the mining period of the 30s - 40s and linked to the ideas brought forth in the mine patches.
As seen on the left, the font typeface he chose for our business name "Barren Ground Coffee" has the look of the classic embroidered patch, as if it is stitched on.
The image to the right shows the interior of the logo which is a stereotypical head frame. Behind it are the scrawny, scraggly, and ubiquitous jack pine.
People have noted that we are Barren Ground, a synonym of the tundra, and have mentioned the trees in our logo. Our name is a play on words (ground coffee?) and the owners of Barren Ground Coffee know well that the use of barren grounds to explain the tundra is a great misnomer, as the region is rich with beautiful flora and fauna. Some of this flora does include scrawny jack pines!
In the next month or so we will be releasing our very own patch. You will be able to purchase it on its own or it will be included in our "knit-your-own-toque-kit". The kit will include locally dyed wool.