Finnish Pipsa turns her brekkies into brands—creative breakfast series doubles as a genius portfolio

“I love making breakfast, and I’m studying graphic design, so I thought: why not combine them?” sums up Pipsa Soimasuo in her video, highlighting the essence of her video series Brekun brändäys ("brekkie branding").

In the video, Pipsa makes almond butter while also showing how a colorful package is created for the finished product.

Early this year, 22-year-old Pipsa had a brilliant idea to combine her field of study with her love of cooking and share it on social media. The resulting video series has inspired others and opened up new opportunities and collaborations for her.

The first installment of the series featured a pink and green label for almond butter made as a Christmas gift. Pipsa saves various jars and packages, printing her own brands onto them. In her videos, she demonstrates step by step how the cheerful labels come to life. You can follow Pipsa’s video series on Instagram and TikTok @soimasuo.

In the spring, Pipsa designed packaging for a mimosa. In addition to a bottle, the imaginary brand’s mocktail is also available in a can. The inspiration for the colorful label came from café sun awnings.

Almond butter was the first in a series that now spans 15 parts. Pipsa originally made the almond butter as a Christmas gift, which then sparked the idea to create more and film them for videos. Social media wasn’t unfamiliar territory for Pipsa, but she had never made videos featuring herself. Despite initial nerves, Pipsa felt that a public portfolio like a social media account was the right choice for her.

“I like being in the spotlight because it’s always felt natural to me.”

To Pipsa’s surprise, the response on social media was positive. People encourage her to continue the series and suggest different breakfast items for her to brand.

The brand Pipsa created for her sourdough bread even has a mascot and a slogan. The Finnish slogan roughly translates to “Don’t be sour, grab some starter.”

One of Pipsa’s personal favorites from the series is a granola called Holy Grain. She got to do a bit more crafting with that one because she wanted a window on the package so you could see the product inside.

The label for a cherry, lemon, and cola-flavored energy drink mimicked a chemist’s notes.

When she started the series, Pipsa thought it might bring new job offers. However, the videos had an even bigger impact than she expected. Her teachers have told her that the series has inspired new applicants to higher education.

“I wouldn’t have even known to set that kind of goal when I first started the video series. I was truly touched,” Pipsa says.

In the labels Pipsa creates, she includes every small detail typically found on product packaging. The label for her green juice includes the product’s story, nutritional information, storage instructions, and even a barcode. The name Viherpesu translates to “green washing”.

The breakfast table is set with her own brands. Pipsa designed packages for sourdough bread, green juice, and pickled red onions.

Pipsa has also gotten comments from her teachers about her time management. Many wonder how she finds enough time for her studies, work, and creating her own brands.

According to Pipsa, planning ahead makes the work easier. After coming up with the idea for the video series, she decided on each week’s topic in advance.

Because she had already listed her topics, Pipsa was able to schedule her work more efficiently. She sets aside specific calendar days for planning, packaging, filming, and editing.

“When you have a clear vision of when and how you’re going to do things, it all comes together,” Pipsa explains.

Building a schedule also helps Pipsa let go of excessive perfectionism. If you get stuck on details, there’s a risk that nothing ever gets finished.

“This year, I’ve adopted the motto It’s better done than perfect.”

In addition to her studies and the video series, Pipsa designs fan merchandise for artists. Working in the music industry has sparked her dream of designing bigger concepts, including stage design. Balancing work, studies, and social media takes time, but for now, Pipsa has no plans to give up on creating her videos.

“It’s something of my own that I want to hold onto,” Pipsa sums up.

The finished result often differs greatly from the first draft. On the packaging for Pipsa’s pancake and waffle batter, childlike drawings emphasize how easy the ready-made mix is to use.

The names of Pipsa’s brands often involve clever wordplay. F-bomb, meaning “fruit bomb,” refers to the explosive amount of vitamins in the fruit salad. The shapes on the label mimic fruit stickers.

The newest part of the series is rolls, which Pipsa wanted to look and sound soft. The name Bebe comes from “breakfast in bed,” and the packaging design is meant to resemble sheets.