Create a Buzz with Custom Coffee Labels

Most of us can agree, there’s nothing quite like the smell of fresh coffee brewing in the morning. Or the sweet taste of a mocha latte from your favorite local coffee shop. Every coffee lover is unique: Some prefer the convenience of ground coffee, while others enjoy grinding their beans on their own. Other consumers prefer decaf or a light roast while others prefer their brews bold and dark.

Whether you sell wholesale coffee beans to retailers or sell directly to consumers, you’re in luck for two reasons: First, you can get the tools you need to package and customize your coffee and second, the coffee industry is absolutely booming! People will always love coffee…and most of us couldn’t get our work done without it!

As a manufacturer of coffee, one of your biggest challenges will be to make your coffee product stand out amongst the seemingly never ending sea of coffee brands. How will you differentiate your brand? One of the best ways to leave a lasting impression on your potential customers is to wow them with your labeling and packaging.

Your coffee label should be as unique as your roast! In this blog, we’ll break down basic coffee label requirements, take a look at examples of excellent branding, and then discuss how to create a buzz with custom coffee labels. There’s plenty of coffee industry tips to help you succeed, and we’re here to spill the beans…

Coffee Label Requirements

Before we dive into the creative side of label design, let’s discuss the packaging non-negotiables for custom coffee labels. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies coffee as a food and thus, it must follow specific guidelines for labeling. The following information is required on all labels for coffee bags sold in the US:

• Barcode
• Ingredients
• Company information (name and address)
• Net weight
• Name of the product

Missing or insufficient information from any of these requirements can result in your brand being pulled off the shelves for a recall. That is the last thing your business wants!

Coffee Bean Certifications

The next element of label design covers important information you should display on your custom coffee labels. These bits of information are not required by law, but they do inform customers about your product and help you advertise its features and benefits. The way your coffee product is made can qualify it for specific certifications that coffee lovers will be looking for on your package before their purchase decision.

There are two main types of certifications: sustainability and flavor…

Sustainability

Rainforest Alliance – Coffee beans with the Rainforest Alliance certification are grown in the canopy shade, in a sustainable environment, using low or no pesticides; and the workers are treated fairly.

Bird Friendly or Shade Grown – Organic, eco-friendly coffee grown in a diverse environment, in the rainforest canopy shade. This designation is certified by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

Fair Trade – Fair Trade means the coffee was made with fair wages to farmers, and free from pesticides and fertilizers. This certification often goes hand-in-hand with the organic certification.

Organic – The organic certification is granted by the USDA. Organic coffee prohibits the use of synthetic substances, including genetically modified organisms (GMO). This also shows that the land used to grow the coffee beans is farmed with renewable resources.

Flavor

Dark Roast – Darker color, almost black, with substantial amount of oil. Rich, bitter, maybe even burnt flavor, low acidity. Examples: French Roast, Italian Roast, Espresso Roast, etc.

Medium Roast – Little or no oil present, the color of milk chocolate, fuller in body. A more balanced flavor and acidity. Examples: City Roast, American Roast.

Light Roast – No oil present on the surface, lighter color and flavor, pronounced acidity. Most of the caffeine from the beans is retained. Example: Cinnamon Roast.

Add these designations to your products to let customers know why your coffee is valuable to them.

Creating the Perfect Blend: Package Design

There are multiple ways to package coffee beans. Most of the time, coffee beans or grinds come in bags. Bag types include:

• Flat Pouches/Pillow Bags
• Side-Gusset Bags
• Flat-Bottom
• Stand-Up Pouches/Doypacks

Once you’ve decided on a bag type, it’s time to let your creativity roam free with the design. You can select and design everything from color, font, artwork, material, finish, and more! Here are a few best practices for package and label design:

Implement the right color combination – Use trendy color schemes that fit with your brand, but also stand out. Experiment with fun designs and graphics to really grab the consumer’s attention!

Select the right font – Font is extremely important. Choose a font that not only looks good, but embodies your brand. Do you want to appear elegant and luxurious, or quirky and fun?

Use scenic elements – If your coffee beans are imported from an exotic rainforest, make sure your brand illustrates that with fun images. You want to set the scene for your coffee beans. Selling a special Christmas themed coffee bean product? Add mistletoes and Christmas trees!

Create a unique shape – You don’t have to settle for boring rectangles for your label shape. Die cut options allow you to cut the label around the design itself instead of fitting it in a box.

Choose the right label material – Even though coffee bags aren’t usually refrigerated, they are kept in kitchens and often touched with dirty or wet hands. This means you’ll want to make sure your custom coffee labels are oil resistant and waterproof! Add metallic elements in the label material to catch the customer’s eye.

Dark Roast, Bright Future

The coffee industry is solidified as a staple of the economy. In fact, in the US, the only beverage that is consumed more than coffee is necessary for human life (aka water). Let’s take a look at the numbers:

• About 110–120 million bags of coffee are produced in the world every year.
• Coffee follows water as the most frequently consumed daily beverage in the US.
• In 2021, the coffee market revenue in the U.S. amounted to approximately 8.11 billion U.S. dollars.

It’s safe to say that coffee isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. With the overwhelming amount of coffee being consumed and manufactured, it’s important that your brand doesn’t get lost in the noise. Stand out. Be as bold as the roasts you sell.