When food scientist Jeff Casper and entrepreneur-designer Kelly McManus decided to launch a noodle company — fresh noodles featuring locally sourced cold-milled organic grains! — they asked me to help them come up with a name. Based on the team’s brand and diverse offering, I came up with a list of possibilities. I worked within a variety of categories that had meaning for them, e.g., the place where they’d both grown up vs. attributes of the brand, like quirky, earnest, smart, inventive, and driven by curiosity.
They chose: Dumpling & Strand Noodlers at Large, a name that inspired the label’s aesthetic, including the two characters, the ever-curious Dumping and Strand, seeking out noodles and interesting grains.
Pagani & Co. 