Orkney Boreray — Discovering The Lost Flock

Discovering The Lost Flock. 

Orkney-based shepherdess Jane Cooper approached us with the challenge of creating a distinctive brand for one of the oldest breeds of sheep in the British Isles. Orkney Boreray sheep are the direct descendents of a flock that was originally brought to these shores by the Vikings over 1000 years ago. Their mysterious past includes the Highland Clearances, self-sufficiency on evacuated St Kilda and a previously unregistered ‘lost flock’ finally being relocated to the Orkney Isles.

Now recognised by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as a completely separate line to other Scottish sheep, Orkney Boreray sits in a category all of its own — with investigations ongoing into it's own distinct DNA from other breeds of Boreray sheep.

The newest, ancient rare breed, Orkney Boreray is a young and growing organisation with many facets, aims and objectives. The brand needed to represent the breed of sheep itself, as well as the community of farmers and crofters who surround it and its status as a collaborative, commercial business that delivers and promotes high-quality Orkney Boreray meat, fleece and bone.

We created a brand that was immediately rooted in both time and place — a pragmatic emblem of the breed’s lineage. 

Based upon a much-loved stud ram from the original Orkney flock (the memorably-named ‘Settisgarth Bollocks’), the marque is reminiscent of Pictish and Viking carvings found throughout the Orkney Isles, and was hand drawn with advice from the shepherds as well as veterinary experts - to ensure that the marque held a vital degree of accuracy, while still allowing for the historic prowess and pride that is so key to the brand. This illustrative line work was then used to create individual marques for specific Orkney Boreray products.

This brand is dedicated to developing and supporting the growth of the breed and the community of crofters that surrounds it.