CLIENT

KWS

PARTNERS

DRAW & CODE

INDUSTRY

AGRICULTURE

ingrain AR

Connecting Farmers to Consumers

Ingrain AR is an innovative augmented reality (AR) project led by Juice, in collaboration with KWS, a global leader in agricultural seeds. This project marked KWS’ first foray into consumer-facing brand engagement using XR (extended reality) technology. KWS, primarily known within the agricultural sector, sought to create an immersive experience to narrate their “farm-to-table” journey to a broader audience. 

IMPACT SO FAR

Award Winning

project that received the following accolades:

Best Label Design at The Spirit Awards - Design & Packaging Masters
Best Varietal Vodka in Wales at the World Vodka Awards

1
Challenge
KWS, a global leader in agricultural seeds, faced the challenge of educating consumers on the origins of grain used in food and beverages. With low brand awareness outside the farming community, they needed an engaging way to bridge the gap between agriculture and consumers, using XR technology to make their story more accessible
2
Solution
A "Living Label" AR experience, triggered by product packaging. This interactive journey allowed consumers to explore the farm-to-table story of KWS grain through partnerships with Cloudwater Brewery and In the Welsh Wind Distillery, bringing the narrative to life via bespoke AR animations
3
Impact
The Ingrain AR project successfully raised KWS' profile and demonstrated the power of AR in consumer engagement. The collaboration with Cloudwater and In the Welsh Wind received numerous awards, with the vodka’s continued production driven by demand.

"This is the first time KWS has used an immersive technology to reach end consumers via packaged goods. We found telling the story of how a seed becomes a product through AR was interesting and informative for end consumers."

Mark Dudgeon - Lead of Digital Innovation Accelerator, KWS

Bridging the Gap Between Agriculture and Consumers

KWS wanted to educate consumers on the origins of the grain used in their daily food and beverage products. This task was particularly complex due to KWS’ relatively low brand awareness outside the farming community. Juice’s role was to help them tell their story in a creative, interactive way through AR technology, leveraging the power of XR to captivate consumers. 

Living Label Concept

Juice developed the “Living Label” concept, an interactive AR experience that could be triggered using product packaging as an image marker. Building on successful examples like the 19 Crimes wine bottles and Jack Daniels’ AR experiences, Juice crafted a similar but bespoke AR journey for KWS. The AR experience allowed consumers to interact with the product packaging and discover the story behind the grain, its cultivation, and the final product. 

kws5

Partnership Development

Initially, KWS Innovation sought a partnership with U.S.-based breweries to integrate the AR experience into their products. After facing challenges in securing these partnerships, Juice facilitated collaborations with two UK-based companies: Cloudwater Brewery in Manchester and In the Welsh Wind Distillery in South Wales. These partnerships resulted in custom-crafted products that incorporated KWS grain and provided a tangible medium for the AR experiences. 

Cloudwater Collaboration

The first collaboration was with Cloudwater Brewery, where the brewery created a bespoke beer called “Hellesbock.” Juice, alongside its technical partner Draw & Code, designed the beer can label to act as a trigger for the AR experience. The AR experience narrated the journey from grain cultivation to beer production, all accessible via the custom Ingrain app developed for the project. 

To launch the product, a special event was held at the Cloudwater taproom in Manchester. The beer, with its unique flavour profile and engaging AR label, was met with enthusiasm, marking Cloudwater’s first venture into AR packaging. 

Project Expansion: In the Welsh Wind Distillery

Following the success with Cloudwater, the project expanded to collaborate with In the Welsh Wind Distillery. This partnership resulted in the production of a “Three Grain Vodka,” where KWS seed was used to grow the barley for the vodka. Unlike the Cloudwater beer, this partnership guaranteed that KWS grain was directly used in the product. The AR experience for this product followed the journey of the seed from the field to the final bottled vodka. 

This partnership also saw great success, with the product and its packaging receiving awards for both quality and design, further establishing KWS as an innovator in consumer engagement. 

AR Meets Bespoke Design

A key aspect of the project was the development of the AR-triggered labels. Juice and Drawing Code designed the labels to function as seamless AR markers. While the Cloudwater beer can label was flexible in its design, the In the Welsh Wind bottle had stricter design constraints, requiring a more nuanced approach to maintain the brand’s identity while ensuring functionality as an AR trigger. 

The narrative, presented in four chapters, used 3D animation to illustrate the seed’s journey through the agricultural process to the final product. This interactive experience was hosted within the bespoke Ingrain app, designed specifically for KWS. 

Changing the Consumer Experience

The Ingrain project not only raised awareness about KWS’ role in the agricultural industry but also showcased the potential of AR in creating immersive consumer experiences. Both the Cloudwater beer and the In the Welsh Wind vodka garnered positive feedback, with the vodka continuing its production due to demand. The project proved that AR could effectively bridge the gap between a brand and its consumers, telling a complex story in an engaging way. 

A New Path for KWS and XR

The success of the Ingrain AR project opened the door for future consumer-facing initiatives at KWS. With the Ingrain app still available for future projects, KWS can continue to leverage AR technology to tell their story. This project also highlighted Juice’s innovative approach to XR, reinforcing the value of their applied XR methodology in creating meaningful brand experiences. 

Looking forward, both KWS and Juice are poised to explore new ways to engage consumers using AR technology, creating a lasting impact in industries that traditionally operated behind the scenes.