Why a logo was never going to be enough
When we started Chewberry, everyone told me to sort out a logo. And I did. But a logo felt cold for a place built on joy and chewy donuts. I’m a designer by training, and my hand kept drifting toward something with a heartbeat — characters, not just a mark on a box.
So I drew two friends instead. That decision turned out to be one of my favourites.
Two characters, two homes
The first is the Taiwan Bear, a warm little nod to where I’m from. The second is the Mochi Männchen — a cheeky mochi fellow whose name tips its hat to the German roots that run deep through the Barossa, where Tanunda was settled by German families generations ago.
One carries Taiwan. The other carries the valley we’re opening in. Together they say exactly what Chewberry is: two cultures, one very chewy snack. I didn’t plan the symbolism that neatly — it just came out of the pencil that way.
Before donuts, I spent years as a designer, and that training never really switches off.
The two of them started as scribbles in a notebook during a quiet week. They grew into proper characters, then onto our packaging, then into the corners of our shops.
Drawing them brought together everything I love at once — my design background, my heritage, and the slightly silly joy of making a four-year-old grin.
The children’s book I’ve been quietly working on
There’s more coming. I’ve been writing and illustrating a children’s book that follows the Taiwan Bear and the Mochi Männchen on their own little adventures. It’s the project closest to my heart, and the one I keep sneaking back to after the shop closes.
I won’t spoil it. But if you’ve ever wondered why a donut shop has two such specific characters, the book is the answer.
Why this matters more than marketing
Watch a kid spot the Taiwan Bear on a box and you’ll understand the whole idea in a second. There’s an instant connection — a little story attached to a treat. Food is more fun when there’s a character in on the joke.
That’s really the mission underneath the mission. I want Chewberry to be a family-friendly stop in Adelaide and the Barossa where children feel like they’ve got friends waiting, not just a snack.
Come meet them in person
The best way to meet the Taiwan Bear and the Mochi Männchen is the obvious one — donut in hand. Bring the kids to Chewberry in Adelaide or Tanunda, spot the mascots, and ask me when the book is coming out. I’ll happily tell you more than you bargained for.
