We have been asked many times for our opinion of the best type of coffee bags and why custom printed coffee packaging is so important for retail success. With over 30 years of experience dealing with this most precious commodity, we are happy to help. There are 3 key elements to successful printed coffee packaging and that we refer to as the 3 Ps…sounds cheesy but stick with me. The 3 Ps are Protect, Promote, and Purchase.
Coffee Bags Protect Your Coffee
The first thing your bags need to do is protect your coffee. Whether that coffee is whole bean, flavored, or ground, protection is the key. Many companies feel the best protection is using a foil laminated film structure. Frankly, this is old school. While all printed packaging is and should be made from laminated film of some sort, using aluminum foil isn’t necessarily the best. Foil, just like the foil we use at home, isn’t very strong but when it is laminated to other films it has excellent barrier properties. The problem with foil is it tends to be expensive and not very retail friendly. By this I mean once foil is bent or folded it doesn’t flex back or recoil. This leaves creases and lines that don’t go away and eventually can lead to weak points and even holes in the coffee bags. Consider using metalized film or Mylar as it is called or even a clear film as recent advances in clear film have led to very good barrier properties. Remember, you can always print clear film to make it opaque. Metalized film and clear film should be cheaper than foil.
Coffee Packaging Promotes Your Brand
Printed packaging needs to promote your brand and your company. Often a company will start out using stock coffee bags or even stock stand up pouches and apply a label but soon they will realize that nothing compares to custom printing. The bold colors, the available room or “real estate” to tell the world where you harvest your beans, the lengths you go to in order to protect the flavor and aroma, your environmental efforts, and anything else that helps you tell the world why your coffee is the best. It’s a fact; a printed coffee bag is cheaper than a stock coffee bag with printed and applied labels. When you compare the cost of a stock coffee bag, the label or labels, the labor it takes to apply the label (just perfectly or you’ll do it again)…a printed packaging solution will be cheaper.
Custom Packaging Gets Your Product Purchased
Finally, your printed coffee packaging must lead to sales, must encourage consumers and retailers to try and purchase your product! Remember, you have one chance to make an impression on a store shelf and if your coffee bags are slouched over, not printed nicely and/or look un-appealing with a crooked label or one with a big air bubble, you could lose out on a potential customer. Consider too what features you have on your coffee bags, do you have a ziplock, a gas release valve, a tin tie or even a resealable sticker for ease into and out of the pouch? Also think about the style of printed coffee packaging you use, is it a traditional quad seal- center fin style or are you making a statement with something unique and different like a stand up pouch or even a flat bottom or flexible box bag style?
In closing, the packaging you choose for your coffee should not be an afterthought. Learn more about the 3Ps in our Coffee Packaging eBook and you’ll have the right formula for retail success.
