High-Proof Creative is an award-winning agency founded in 2018 by Karen Locke, specializing in branding and marketing specifically for the food and beverage industry, with a deep focus on craft spirits and non-alcoholic beverage brands. The agency offers comprehensive creative services including logo and label design, packaging design, and full-scale branding workshops. Their marketing capabilities extend to social media management and ad management across Google, Facebook, and Instagram platforms. Beyond creative design, the agency manages content creation for blogs, eNewsletters, and social channels, while providing technical services such as website development and maintenance, SEO, and ecommerce strategy. They also facilitate public relations and influencer management for their clients. The team is comprised of professionals with backgrounds specifically in the craft spirits and non-alcoholic beverage sectors, allowing them to provide industry-specific consulting and training, including assistance with TTB label approval processes. Based in Portland, Oregon, the agency supports beverage brands with a methodology centered on industry-specific expertise. Their work has been recognized by industry bodies such as the John Barleycorn Awards, where they were named Marketer of the Year in 2024. The firm serves a client base primarily comprised of distilleries, breweries, and food and beverage businesses, leveraging their experience in both creative design and digital performance marketing to help brands navigate the unique requirements of the spirits and beverage market.
I've worked with Karen and the team at High-Proof Creative on multiple projects and each one was a pleasure. From content creation and social media management to packaging design they were able to run with the brief, execute each phase quickly, produce amazing results, and keep consistent and clear communication throughout.
I contacted High-Proof Creative to design our family’s whiskey brand that my great-great grandfather started in the 1800s. I had reached out to a couple other design companies in the past but never even heard back. BUT within a couple of hours of emailing High-Proof Creative the owner of the company replied. I simply gave them some notes and a template design for a little bit of creative direction, and in a matter of weeks they sent me a design that blew us away! It was so much better than anything we could have imagined. It was unique, timeless, and represents the brand perfectly. The only edits we requested were when we decided to change the wording on the back label, and they replied with the corrections promptly so that we never missed a production deadline. High-Proof Creative did not just create a design, they created a logo that my family will be proud to display for generations to come.
If you're getting into the craft distilling space (as I am) you know how crowded the marketplace is getting. That's exactly why you need these folks in your corner. They rock! Super helpful and willing to get into the trenches to help make your brand the best in town. All 5's baby ;)
I've been working with High-Proof for the past year on a vodka brand I'm starting and I've had an awesome experience with everyone there. Karen and her team have done an amazing job of designing my labels, website, promotional materials, social posts. They've provided consulting on a variety on strategic questions, helped me find better vendors and in the process have saved me thousands of dollars. I can't imagine this brand coming to life with anyone else. They've been a partner at every step.
We recently hired Karen to build a new web site for us. Karen started with a lot of thoughtful questions that helped her get a strong understanding of what we were looking for and what our aesthetic is. Karen offered wonderful suggestions and was open to our ideas throughout the process. Karen was very patient with us and our crazy schedules. We own two businesses and this is our busiest time of year but Karen kept us on track and completed the project on time and on budget!
