How custom printed cold brew coffee packaging benefits your brand
Breaking into the cold brew market has become unbelievably competitive, with every roaster, everywhere, wanting to take home a slice of the pie. However, one key thing roasters forget amidst the competition is how imperative it is to design custom printed cold brew coffee packaging.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Unless your eye is drawn to a beautifully designed can of cold brew, the chances of standing out nowadays are slim to none.
Before the consumer knows it, the packaging has already made a huge impression on their buying decisions. For coffee brands wanting to stand out amidst the crowded shelves – this moment is everything. And it’s this moment that some brands are missing.
It’s a moment to captivate potential long-term customers with visuals that tell a brand story, all before the first sip is taken. Custom-printed cold brew packaging goes well beyond just looking pretty; it’s a fine-line moment for brands to communicate their identity, values, and dedication to quality.
For many roasters, the extra costs involved in custom packaging may feel like, on the surface, a steep commitment. But is it worth it? Will it generate a return?
We spoke with Avery Harper, creative director at Mahalo Coffee Roasters, about how he feels that custom printed cold brew coffee packaging helped his brand stand out in a crowded market and what factors to consider when creating the perfect design.
Why custom printed cold brew coffee packaging is worth the cost
At first glance, the investment in custom printed cold brew coffee packaging might feel like a significant expense. It’s only natural to wonder whether it’s worth it – and that’s what makes a good businessperson, but its benefits far outweigh the costs.
However, it’s important to remember that custom packaging does more than just contain a product. See it as a vehicle for brand storytelling, deepening the consumer and brand relationship, and an opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
Mahalo Coffee Roasters is a Tennesse-based company established in 2019 by Nascar driver and coffee connoisseur Trevor Bayne.
“Before our customers even take the first sip of our cold brew, they are face to face with our packaging,” says Avery.
“It is imperative that our packaging communicates ‘this is how much we care’.”
With a plethora of unique and eye-catching design elements, from logos to colour palettes to obscure patterns and impressive imagery, brands can easily make their cold brew coffee identifiable on shelves and online. This kind of visual brand recognition can help generate higher sales and increase your brand awareness.
An American survey conducted in 2018 saw that product packaging design influenced a massive 72% of consumers. However, with the recent cost of living concerns, consumers are becoming even pickier about what they spend their money on – making packaging a powerful tool for consumers to figure out what is and isn’t worth their dollars.
More so, when a product design has quite clearly put time and effort into it, the consumer will trust that the brew inside has been designed with the same level of precision and care. This instantly helps build a sense of trust, as customers associate the product with a level of higher quality.
“It assures our customers that if we care about what is outside of the can, we’re definitely going to care about what is inside the can,” Avery explains.
“We designed a product that people enjoyed drinking, but also one they enjoyed showing off at pool parties or cookouts.”
For the Mahalo, the overall goal was to craft a product that not only delivers a great beverage experience but also becomes a part of the consumer’s lifestyle.
Outside of quality and purchasing decisions, a well designed label can also communicate a brand’s story to new consumers, sharing mission, values, and a mutual passion for quality coffee.
The key to custom printed cold brew coffee packaging
Each step of the custom printed cold brew coffee packaging design process involves mindful consideration of a few different factors, each harmoniously coming together in the final outcome.
Firstly, the choice of materials used can significantly impact the durability or overall appeal of the final packaging. More so, ensuring these materials are sustainable is crucial in order to resonate with eco-conscious consumers.
For Mahalo, a huge consideration was ensuring the brand had a quick yet highly effective process for in-house production. Colour palettes and recognisable or eye-catching designs are equally vital when it comes to custom coffee packaging. Specific colours can evoke subconscious emotion or relevance, create brand recognition, or simply make a product stand out.
“We designed sticker labels that carried a familiar look of our brand but popped in a new direction,” Avery adds.
The true challenge lies in crafting a thoughtful design that reflects the brand’s identity while simultaneously being visually engaging and appealing to a broader audience.
More so, considering sales avenues is a crucially forgotten aspect of the early stages of a design process. The environment where the products will be sold, be it in retail stores or online, can dictate the design process entirely.
A label that might catch the wandering shopper might require a different strategy from a product intended for an e-commerce platform. Understanding the intended sales channel in advance and tailoring your design to meet the specific needs of the said channel will ensure the packaging aligns with the buying experience.
While custom packaging allows brands to spark their most creative side, it’s important to remember to take into account what does and doesn’t work. Avoiding common pitfalls during the design process, such as overcomplicating and confusing designs that reflect personal rather than customer tastes, is vital.
As Avery explains, “There is a balance between standing out and being a comfortable product for your customers. It is easy to get caught up in “being unique,” but our industry has trends that coffee lovers are devoted to.”
“Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to match their comfort level in packaging design.“
At Cold Brew Pak, we offer a vast selection of high quality, highly sustainable custom printed cold brew coffee packaging to our customers in the specialty coffee space. From custom aluminium cans to BPA-free bottles and bag-in-box and cold brew pouches, every packaging type is ready to be designed specifically to your desires and aesthetic.
Visit our website or get in touch with us directly to source your own line of custom printed cold brew coffee packaging.
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Custom printed cold brew coffee packaging
