Is a kraft paper bag-in-box suitable for cold brew?
Kraft paper bag-in-box packaging solutions are an environmentally friendly, highly customisable, and secure way for coffee brands to capitalise on the growing cold brew coffee market.
Relatively new to popularity as a ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee beverage, cold brew has traditionally been packed in glass bottles or aluminium cans for on-the-go consumption beyond the café or coffee shop.
As demand for more convenient and sustainable cold brew packaging options increases alongside correlated consumer trends, flexible packaging solutions like kraft paper bag-in-boxes and cold brew pouches present sound alternatives: they’re lightweight, flexible, protective, and eco-friendly.
We spoke with Eric Anderson, Rise Brewing Co.’s area sales manager, to learn more about Rise’s bag-in-box development process.
What is a kraft paper bag-in-box solution?
Bag-in-box solutions for cold brew combine two primary elements: kraft paper and corrugated cardboard outer box and an aseptic, biodegradable plastic inner bag.
The bag provides housing for the cold brew liquid and is fitted with a recyclable plastic screw cap or dispensing tap for easy use and minimal waste. The outer box serves as a protective layer, keeping sunlight from degrading cold brew quality and keeping the product safe during transportation and storage.
The entire unit is recyclable. Once consumed, the user needs only to separate the bag and the box and recycle each type of material according to their local regulations.
Kraft paper bag-in-box solutions are perfect for multi-serve cold brew consumption. They come in a wide range of sizes, from smaller 1.5-litre volumes, perfect for at-home refrigerator storage and consumption, to larger 20-litre options that can accommodate office spaces or large social gatherings.
For any requirements beyond single-serve – for which flexible cold brew pouches are perfect – bag-in-box is the most environmentally friendly option for coffee brands retailing cold brew. The entire unit is compostable and biodegradable, cheaper and more efficient to transport, and boasts long shelf lives.
“We’d been hearing of a shift towards bag-in-boc from some of our largest and most influential operator partners,” remembers Eric.
“There were internal company mandates to move away from traditional kegerators or keg systems, which went back almost two years. Given RISE had hundreds of customers around the country using these systems, we felt it was best to get ahead of the trend and prepare for a shift in demand towards bag-in-box.
“These systems come with a lot of advantages, including smaller overall footprint, better shelf-stability, longer shelf life overall, and removing the need for nitrogen tanks and other accessories.”
How can kraft paper bag-in-box packaging improve your business performance?
Many wholesale coffee companies selling cold brew in a business-to-business format utilise keg systems similar to beer, especially when using cold brew as a base for nitro coffee. A keg is required to serve nitro-infused cold brew coffee.
RISE has found bag-in-box cold brew to be a successful replacement for this approach and a more sustainable one.
“The biggest challenge for traditional kegerator/keg systems has always been the cold chain logistics and the need for added nitrogen,” Eric says.
“It’s expensive to ship refrigerated kegs around the country, so to achieve this, it needs to be done at scale – not always possible in smaller markets. This creates a void in sales coverage.
“Additionally, you need a local, willing operator partner that can handle the servicing aspects like nitrogen supply, which during the pandemic was particularly difficult to source.”
Kraft paper bag-in-box solutions replace the need for kegs for transporting and storing cold brew for serving in coffee shops, cafés, or restaurants. Kegs are drastically heavier and larger, an inefficient means of transportation for liquids compared to bag-in-box solutions that can be tightly packed during transport and broken down after use.
“It’s fair to say that RISE has noticed benefits across storage, transportation and shelf-life by moving to bag-in-box solutions,” Eric adds.
“Shelf life stability alone is the biggest advantage over the legacy kegerator system. Being able to transport shelf-stable BiBs around the country has both decreased the logistic costs and opened up markets and customers that might have otherwise been out of reach. The additional shelf life certainly helps as well, adding over 50% versus a standard keg of RISE nitro cold brew.”
Further benefits of bag-in-box cold brew
Beyond logistical and transportation efficiency, kraft paper bag-in-box packaging solutions are highly eco-friendly and customisable. Modern consumers demand evidence of sustainable business practices, and bag-in-box cold brew is a great opportunity for coffee brands to demonstrate their eco-friendly commitments.
“To be honest, of the advantages BiB offers, biodegradable materials are the least prominent. However, it always helps to add these characteristics,” says Eric.
The kraft paper and corrugated cardboard outer boxes are not just biodegradable; they are large customisable panels with vast brandable potential, which help coffee brands tell their brand stories and better compete on busy supermarket shelves.
By explicitly stating the sustainable credentials inherent to bag-in-box packaging, like compostability, certified recyclability, and sustainably sourced, brands retailing bag-in-box cold brew can better relate to consumer sustainability aspirations.
Simple recycling guidance further helps shoppers fulfil their own eco-friendly lifestyle ambitions – ease of recycling is a key determinant of consumer participation in such practices.
At Cold Brew Pak, we offer a range of biodegradable kraft paper bag-in-box cold brew packaging solutions ranging in size from small 1.5-litre boxes to larger 20-litre options. Every inner bag we produce is made from aseptic LDPE and PLA biodegradable plastics.
Whether your business focuses on B2B or direct-to-consumer channels, our bag-in-box packaging solutions will help you reach more customers, reduce your carbon footprint, and better illustrate your sustainability credentials and brand story.
To learn more, visit our website or get in touch with our team directly.
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Kraft paper bag-in-box
Photos provided by Rise
