Thanks for stopping by. We’re so glad you did. We are Harbor Creative Group, Inc. but you can call us Harbor Creatives. We are a trio of savvy marketers who lead a team of strategists, creatives, digital experts and other awesome people to deliver the goods to our clients. We all happen to bring a lot of experience in the agriculture industry and share a love for all things wellness. We believe every brand has a narrative that’s waiting to be told. And we love telling them!
Our Crew
Unquestionably a born marketer, Lisa Minardi has racked up 20 years of hands-on experience through working in agencies since graduating from University of California, San Diego with a BA in Communications. Based in Santa Cruz, California she has collaborated with some of the largest agriculture brands in the Salinas Valley, Washington State and beyond. As the Vice President of McDill Associates and its division Plaid Cannabiz Marketing, she led the development of multiple award-winning marketing programs for clients in fresh produce, natural foods, beverages, cannabis, lifestyle, technology and retail. Her expertise lies in crafting the strategy of positioning, messaging and campaigns that set brands apart. Lisa never gets tired of writing, brainstorming and building client relationships.
Born and raised in the farming lifestyle, Melissa Roth has deep roots in the agriculture industry. After graduating from the University of Montana with degrees in Anthropology and Psychology, she joined the Peace Corps and learned along side Nepali farmers working on food security initiatives. Moving to Washington State with a new found passion for the people who grow our food, she began her career in the tree fruit industry. She is a card-carrying food safety and QA expert with years of experience in food processing and marketing, applying her attention to detail to every project. Her knack for evaluating market opportunities aligned with current trends means our clients can count on her for unexpected and innovative ideas. Passionate about sharing stories from brands that enhance our health, she revels in the creative process of meshing strategy and design.
Passion for Days
We get up every day excited to work with our clients. Our passion shows up through the results that make a difference for brands. We believe that collaboration is key and partnerships are what make the world go round.
Our Work
Fresh Ideas For Inspired Brands
Sunkist Snacks
Sunkist Snacks
Cosmic Crisp®
Cosmic Crisp®
Artisan Lettuce
Artisan Lettuce
TeaREX
TeaREX
Pink Lady® America
Pink Lady® America
New Leaf Markets Branding
New Leaf Markets Branding
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One of the most exciting rebrands in HCG history! We’ve transformed CIBO into Italy Culinary Vacations – a name and brand that perfectly captures the spirit of exploring Italy through food. 🇮🇹🍷
From the fresh identity to the new website, this project was a dream come true. Take a look and prepare to feel transported to the heart of Italy.
🎨 Before ➡️ After
What a fulfilling week! Had a full circle moment talking to my oldest son’s high school graphic design class on a @yourfutureisourbusiness career panel. His teacher is a designer that I worked with at my very first agency job here in Santa Cruz. Obviously I brought them Cosmic Crisp apples to try 😉.
I also donated Cosmic Crisp apples to my middle son’s 6th grade culinary class. They made the pop tart recipe from our website and it was a huge hit! 💪🏼
There is no greater joy than having a career that is meaningful to me as a marketer and as a mother to three boys. 😀🍎💖
~ Lisa
Is it cliché to call the summer of 2024 life-changing for us at HCG? Maybe. But it’s also 100% true. 🌞✨ This summer, we’ve adventured far and wide, dreamed big both professionally and personally, loved fiercely, and laughed even louder (maybe a little too loudly 😜). And, most importantly, we’ve had SO MUCH FUN!
We truly love what we do, and we still can’t believe we get to call this our ‘job.’ Talking about how good apples and fresh produce taste, and sharing that passion with all of you? Yeah, we’d say it’s the best gig ever. 🍎🥳 From exploring places we never imagined possible (who else gets to say they’ve flown in a Cosmic Crisp® hot air balloon?!) to soaring through space with the Cosmic Explorers and ending up at a bubbly hard cider destination with 2 Towns Ciderhouse, this journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Thank you for being a part of this wild, wonderful adventure with us! 🚀💫 We can’t wait to see where the rest of 2024 takes us! #BestJobEver #ProduceLove #CosmicCrisp #SummerAdventures #HCGLife
What an absolute honor to earn our first Crushie Award for packaging design alongside our partner @2townscider! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with you (and for making the best hard ciders and teas.) With this award we are toasting to more design adventures together! ✨
Seasonal flavors? Yes, please! This design project in partnership with @2townscider is a delicious example of why this strategy works well for so many types of brands. Trust us, you are going to want to grab this Apricot Cosmic Crisp® Imperial Cider while you can. 🍎🍑🍻
Last year was Fearless. This year it’s Unstoppable. Who else has a fierce word of the year? 💪🏼
We feel lucky to be here, lucky to be healthy — and extra lucky to genuinely love what we do together every day. And now we have matching permanent reminders! Wishing you and yours a holiday season that is abundant in gratitude, good health and lucky moments.
Happy Halloween! Surprise surprise, Barbie costumes are taking this holiday by storm and we’re here for it! 💖
It has us reminiscing about the incredible marketing performance from Mattel (budgets were to the tune of $150M! 💸) but did you know there was an intense brand battle throughout the launch? 😳
While we were all swooning over the film, Mattel was taking legal action to block the trademark filed by iconic luxury fashion brand, Burberry for “BRBY”. Mattel claimed that “BRBY” was too similar to its Barbie trademarks and didn’t want fans associating the two brands.
With that, we know three things for certain:
1️⃣ Brand name trademarks are essential for protecting intellectual and creative property.
2️⃣ “BRBRRY” makes way more sense for Burberry than “BRBY”.
3️⃣ Barbie would never be caught wearing beige.
We want to hear from you, give us your take in the comments! 👇
(Article source: @creativebloqofficial)
We celebrated a very special birthday last week for the one and only Lisa!⭐️To our fearless leader who brings so much fun-loving, and powerful energy to not only our team, but her friends, family, and community - happy freakin’ birthday! Lisa, we’re so grateful for you and know that this is going to be your sparkliest year yet! ✨💛
Happy fall! When we tell you the Harbor Creative team had an ✨epic summer✨, we mean it. We’ve been traveling the world, enjoying new client work, settling into new homes, making memories with our families and friends, and taking in all of summer’s beauty. We even celebrated our 3rd birthday! 🥂🍰 Here’s a quick glimpse at what we’ve been up to.
From serene shores to shimmering seas, at Harbor Creative Group we are grateful to bask in the beautiful liquid landscapes of Lake Chelan, Seattle, and Santa Cruz, soaking up the creative inspiration that flows with the tides 🌊⚓️⛴️ The west coast is in our hearts (and our work!), and we thrive on helping brands with local roots as well. Click the link in bio to learn more about us!
