A team of Armenia-based designers have created a product in which each of them can find their favorite flavor of coffee (espresso, cappuccino, mocha, latte, americano).

RESULT

By Kristina de Verdier on 9 May, 2017 In Coffee, Design, packaging

Halo is a completely bio-degradable coffee capsule compatible with your home Nespresso machine. Designed with an innovative blend of compostable natural fibres to protect the coffee flavours. Like many coffee drinkers across the world Halo was dissatisfied with the coffee capsule industries practices, vagueness and green washing.

-13,500 non-biodegradable coffee capsules being thrown into landfill every minute.

-39,000 coffee capsules globally are produced every minute.

-Between 13,500 and 29,000 of these are sent to landfill.

-That’s over 20 billion capsules containing aluminium or plastic produced every year

-Circling the earth 14 times over

Aluminium and plastic coffee capsules are difficult and time consuming for people to recycle so most of them get thrown in the bin. Or they have to be sent for industrial composting which can be very difficult and expensive. Halo is made of entirely organic materials; Bamboo and paper pulp. “It’s not a cheap way of packaging coffee but it’s the right way.”

By Kristina de Verdier on 17 March, 2017 In Coffee, Compostable, Design, packaging, pods, sustainable

Kohana before the rebrand

Designed by Helm’s Workshop. “Kohana’s coffee is exceptional, but their brand identity was dated, out of sync with their values and missing the mark with contemporary coffee culture. With the brand poised to enter the national market and launch a new product line, it was a perfect moment to shun evolution in favor of revolution. We proposed a bold transition from a dated packaging system to an identity focused on the islands that inspired the brand, its values and the ritual of enjoying a cup of coffee. To help, we invited artist Abi Daniel to capture the beauty and energy of the coffee plant. The result is a striking package that not only conveys a sense of Hawaii, but translates to just about anywhere people enjoy a moment of reflection.

Kohana is the small, white Hawaiian flower that heralds the arrival of the coffee cherry. It signals the promise of coffee to come, and the beginning of an extraordinary experience. It’s a strong symbol for the brand, but it wasn’t being leveraged in a way that resonated with consumers. Our solution was to let the flower speak for itself. Rather than just telling consumers that the coffee is organic and natural, we would show them— letting the inherent beauty of the coffee plant tell the story in an honest, pure way.”

By Kristina de Verdier on 30 January, 2015 In Beverages, Brand Identity, Coffee

Designed by Squad Ink. “Paul Bassett, former World Barista Champion, is the visionary behind Bassett Espresso. Bassett Espresso is a reflection of Paul’s personal taste. It portrays his journey of creative expression and the continuation of his relationship with coffee, capturing the imagination and potential of quality espresso. Our challenge is to ensure that the brand confidently represents Paul Bassett and his unique approach to producing quality coffee whilst creating a highly marketable product with strong retail appeal. Paul’s connection to coffee tradition needed to be translated through our work, so we consulted with him closely to discover that his open mindfulness allows him to continue to explore coffee’s sensory possibilities through technical refinement. With this in mind, we began rebuilding the brand starting with a revision of the name from Paul Bassett Espresso to ‘Bassett Espresso’. The use of the classic typeface, allows the logo to be commanding with a nod to tradition. Another important brand device is the custom pattern, derived from a European tessellated tile pattern. The graphic seamlessly aligns art and geometry, symbolising Paul’s approach to coffee as both creative and technical. The final packaging solution demonstrates an aesthetic that is purposely restrained yet bold through its beautifully considered typography, graphic detail and flawless production.

By Kristina de Verdier on 21 August, 2014 In Coffee

A new herbal bag made for Starbucks‘ Brezza Blend, by Starbucks

“The design’s geometric patterning is an interpretation of the sun’s rays and the heat of summer, also taking inspiration from textile patterns found in coffee-growing origins. We arranged blocks of color to suggest a mountainous coffee landscape, through which the sun’s rays shine. The bright color palette evokes the excitement and energy of spring and early summer and some of the ‘golden’ flavors of the coffee.” Via The Dieline

By Kristina de Verdier on 13 June, 2014 In Beverages, Coffee

La Lepre Stanca Tourmalet. A coffee brand created by a team of cyclists who love bicycling and value a good cup of coffee along the strada. The team is known as La Lepre Stanca. The name of the coffee comes from an iconic place in the bicycling world – Col du Tourmalet is located in the Pyrenees and was used first time in 1910 as a milestone of Tour de France. The coffee is rosted at a farm outside Jönköping, Sweden, by the coffee master Ingo Deters. Brand identity and packaging design by Marcus Carlholt.

By Kristina de Verdier on 5 December, 2013 In Coffee, Paper

Drop Coffee Roasters is an award winning roastery with the focus on creating a great tasting sustainable grown and traded coffee.

“We have a coffee roastery and a bar in Södermalm with all the focus on a good cup of coffee. With each cup served comes experience in the accuracy with temperature, equipment, operation, and raw materials in particular. Coffee is a delicate product affecting thousands of people’s lives. We believe that if we pay the farmer a good price for the arduous work to produce the coffee, it will benefit him or her, their families, communities and the local environment.”

By Kristina de Verdier on 4 November, 2013 In Beverages, Coffee, Design, drink, packaging, Paper

Bjørk Coffee. A new Nordic Coffee house, with a Swedish and a Norwegian founder. And of course the packaging plays an important role in the branding. “Birch, or Bjørk as we say in the Nordic countries, is for us the beauty of the Nordic flora. It represents resilience, beauty and originality. For us Bjørk is a symbol of the modern Scandinavian way of life. At Bjørk we want to show our love for coffee and share the pleasure of enjoying it together. Coffee plays a central role in our culture as an important ingredient in people`s social life wherever and whenever we meet”

By Kristina de Verdier on 31 October, 2013 In bjork, Coffee, Design, house, norway, packaging

In an effort to increase customer adoption of reusable cups, Starbucks is rolling out a $1 reusable plastic cup at its cafes starting Thursday. The plastic cups will be roughly the same size and appearance as the company’s paper cups. Starbucks will give a 10 cents discount to customers using the cups, so the cost is recouped after 10 uses. As with other reusable cups, the new cups will be cleaned with boiling water each time customers bring them in. In 2008, the company had said it wanted to serve 25 percent of all drinks in reusable cups by 2015. That goal has since been reduced to 5 percent. Via NY Daily News and Sustainable Brands.

By Kristina de Verdier on 4 January, 2013 In Coffee, packaging, reusable, starbucks

Scandinavian Coffee House from Norway. “At Scandinavian Coffee House we want to show our love for coffee and share the pleasure of enjoying it together. Coffee plays a central role in our culture as an important ingredient in people`s social life wherever and whenever we meet. Scandinavians have always travelled, so our culinary traditions are influenced by many others. Otherwise we would not have had coffee in the first place. We have embraced the coffee culture to such an extent that we have created our own – one that suits our palate and temper. At SCH we have designed a coffee program that shows our deep rooted traditions for coffee preparation. At the same time we are re-interpreting the presentation of it, dressed for a new era in coffee.”

By Kristina de Verdier on 2 May, 2012 In Beverages, Coffee, Design, marmelade, mugs, package, packaging, Paper, scandinavian

Afro Coffee is inspired by the idea that African coffees and teas should no longer be exported solely as raw materials but should instead be offered as independent high quality branded products. The Afro Coffee is more than just a culinary experience. The design, fabrics and colours of the cafe also celebrate contemporary African culture, far from colonial kitsch or tourist folklore. Many of the products were produced in the townships of Africa and can be purchased from the Afro Shop

By Kristina de Verdier on 22 January, 2011 In afro, Beverages, Coffee, Re-use, tins

To cheer you up these rainy days. Jung-Woo Lee for Ek Design.

By Kristina de Verdier on 15 May, 2010 In Coffee, coffee cup, cup holder, umbrella

Hmm, what’s this? Looks like it would cause a mess for your coffee time. But it’s an interesting idea. Into the cup goes the freshly ground coffee along with any sugar you request. The counter person adds boiling water, gives it a stir and attaches the lid. You are instructed to wait three minutes or so before pressing the plunger, which clicks as it meets the cover and seals it. I’m not convinced, but anyone who tries it out, let me know. See more here

By Kristina de Verdier on 12 May, 2010 In Beverages, brew, Coffee, cup, packaging design, press coffee

Starbucks has a goal to develop a comprehensive recyclable cup solution by 2012. Today Starbuck´s cups can only be recycled and composted in some communities – far from all. Therefore they have now initiated a cup-recycling program in cooperation with Global Green USA´s Coalition for Resource Recovery. It´s a pilot to test the collection and recycling of coffee cups when combined with old corrugated cardboard, which should be the most extensively recycled material in the U.S. They are looking over the entire system; material usage and design of cups as well as logistic and how to collect them after usage. Pratts Sustainable Design Incubator has helped them with the guidelines. It´s great that a big company like this is investing in this and hopefully giving new opportunities to the entire coffee shop market. Read more on Greener Package

By Kristina de Verdier on 14 September, 2009 In Beverages, Cardboard, Coffee, corrugated, Design, green, packaging, pratts, starbucks, sustainability

You don’t really get a desire for coffee when you see this mug. But it’s more the discussion which is interesting than the design itself. KeepCup is made from the safe food grade plastic Polypropylene 5, free from BPA and phthalates. Instead of throwing cup after cup, you re-use it. Disposable paper cups are not really recyclable. They are often made from a composite of materials: kraft bleached paper sprayed with a polyethylene coating. Paper cups are often impregnated with toxic dyes which make them difficult to recycle.

By Kristina de Verdier on 21 July, 2009 In Beverages, Coffee, cup, Design, green, packaging, recycle, sustainable