EPDA Porto — What Heritage Actually Looks Like

We attended the European Brand & Packaging Design Association conference in Porto.

We’re closely connected to EPDA, and it’s a space that brings together deep knowledge from across the packaging field, while keeping us in conversation with others shaping the industry.

One of the highlights was the Sandeman talk, followed by a visit to their cellars.

Sandeman is often referenced as a heritage brand, but seeing it up close shows what that actually means.

They were pioneers in advertising and brand recognition. Branding their barrels, bottling their own wines, and investing in communication early on, at a time when that was still controversial in the category.

And then came The Don.

Created in 1928, it became one of the first true brand icons in the wine industry, used consistently across advertising, labels, and communication ever since.

What’s interesting is not just that it exists, but how it evolved.

The Don has been refined over time, adapted across different SKUs and lines, but never replaced.

That’s where heritage actually lives.

Not in preserving everything exactly as it was, but in understanding what carries the brand, and letting the rest evolve with time.

When working with heritage, and carrying a design that is already widely recognised, it comes down to knowing what to keep, which elements hold that recognition, and what can evolve.