RTD coffee packaging: vital points to consider
Choosing the proper RTD coffee packaging for your coffee business is elemental to success in the modern marketplace. Coffee quality has always been king, but the way in which your beverages are presented on the shelf and in the consumer’s hand is increasingly significant.
In the preceding second and third waves of coffee culture, businesses were able to trade on brand recognition, artisanal craftsmanship, or convenience alone. Today, you need to nail all three just to have a chance.
Your RTD coffee packaging, from the materials used to the aesthetic approach adopted, cannot be ignored.
A recent development from multinational coffee powerhouse Illy Caffè is instructive on the advantages a great RTD coffee product can offer your company’s performance. Read on to learn more.
What are the different kinds of RTD coffee packaging?
RTD coffee packaging, or ready-to-drink, is a packaging solution that offers customers the ultimate level of convenience and the shortest gap between purchase and consumption. At the other end of the spectrum, you might have coffee beans, which must be ground, brewed, and consumed at home or a café.
Even takeaway coffee, until recently the king of convenience, requires the customer to wait for beverage preparation. The generations of today and tomorrow, Millennials and Gen Z especially, demand a faster solution.
Increasingly busy lives, urbanised lifestyles, and varied consumption patterns signal a shift in the way coffee is traditionally consumed. The coffee industry itself is moving in this direction, too, consistently innovating to bring novel, diverse, and convenient coffee-based beverages to the marketplace.
For coffee businesses, RTD coffee means more potential income channels like supermarkets, convenience stores, and e-commerce. For consumers, it means coffee-grade coffee on demand in any setting.
Aluminium cans are far and away the most popular form of RTD coffee packaging. They are widely available, infinitely recyclable, customisable in both shape and design, lightweight, and robust enough to handle commercial transportation. Manufactured correctly, they offer improved shelf life performance and can be displayed ambiently – on supermarket shelves – or chilled in refrigerator doors by a point-of-sale.
Unlike aluminium cans, which offer a tremendous single-serve portion solution, bag-in-box packaging offers coffee businesses and consumers the luxury of multi-serve RTD cold coffee. Ranging in size from 1.5-litre boxes up to 20 litres, bag-in-box cold brew goes a step further than aluminium cans, allowing for dispensing of multiple ready-to-consume coffee beverages.
For consumers looking for the most convenient and sustainable way to dispense more than one serving at a time, bag-in-box is a no-brainer. Waste is significantly reduced, the materials are exclusively compostable and biodegradable, and different sizes allow for numerous catering scenarios, from small social gatherings to corporate office spaces.
Flexible cold brew pouches fit in between, ranging from 187 ml to 1.5 litres. At their smallest size, pouches provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to aluminium cans, perfect for single-serve consumption before collapsing into minimal, compostable waste. At the larger end, they offer an eco-conscious way for individuals to keep the cold brew in their personal refrigerators and consume it immediately over several sittings.
Between custom cans, bag-in-box, and flexible cold brew pouches, modern coffee businesses have three excellent RTD coffee packaging options to choose from, suitable for all potential consumer need states, and all highly sustainable.
How is Illy using RTD coffee packaging to grow its business?
In June 20024, Illy Caffè and United Airlines, one of the world’s largest airlines, announced a partnership that would see Illy’s ready-to-drink cold brew served onboard all flights over 300 miles. The move was the first of its kind, serving premium cold brew coffee via inflight catering services.
“Illy’s cold brew is crafted using the company’s unique blend of 100% Arabica beans, sourced from the finest coffee-growing regions around the world. The coffee is then cold brewed for 12 hours, delivering a rich and balanced flavour profile,” the press release states.
“It will be complimentary in United’s premium cabinets and offered for purchase in United EconomyⓇ as part of the airline’s buy onboard menu.”
The partnership between Illy and United is notable in that it sees value in offering RTD coffee in the transport channel. Those tracking cold brew’s overall growth will acknowledge such a development as a key indicator of the groundswell’s popularity for convenient cold coffee beyond even traditional RTD channels like convenience stores or petrol forecourts.
“As more people than ever take to the skies this summer, we are thrilled to offer fliers a new premium drink, and we’re proud to be the only major U.S. airline currently serving cold brew onboard most flights,” said Aaron McMillan, managing director of hospitality programs at United.
“We know fliers enjoy a pick-me-up during travel, and Illy’s canned cold brew is the perfect beverage option for coffee lovers to stay energised and focused during their trip.”
The press release also references supporting data released by the National Coffee Association in late 2023, namely the fact that 55% of ready-to-drink coffee consumers drink it multiple times per week and that RTD coffee has become the most popular type of coffee consumed by Millennials and Gen Z.
Illy’s move with United Airlines sends a message to the broader industry: RTD coffee is more popular than ever, regardless of the location or channel. It also poses a real, competitive alternative to the more traditional hot coffee options usually found on flights.
For its RTD coffee packaging, Illy has chosen sleek, 250 ml aluminium cans with a minimalist aesthetic that still ensures customers recognise the brand on shelves. The cans are recyclable, and tout other key benefits, like 100% Arabica quality coffee, no preservatives or additives, and no sugar.
At Cold Brew Pak, we offer a suite of RTD coffee packaging options, from custom aluminium cans to compostable bag-in-box packaging and biodegradable flexible cold brew pouches.
To source your own RTD coffee packaging, visit our website or get in touch with us diretly.
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