Five Senses of Coffee Packaging: Take Your Brand Experience to Another Level
January 28, 2016
The coffee industry has grown beyond anyone’s imagination. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, Americans spend $40 billion on coffee each year. That staggering amount comes from the 54 percent of adults in the US who drink some form of java every single day. If your business is aching to make a break in the coffee industry, you need an advantage to set your coffee bean packaging apart from the crowd. Use innovative packaging solutions and the five senses to boost your bagged bean sales.
A Sensory Experience
Purchasing a bag of coffee is more than just buying another food item. Thanks to the luxury market of six dollar cups of single-origin-fair-trade-certified beans from foreign farms, and seasonal favorites such as pumpkin spice lattes, coffee buyers expect more from their coffee purchases. When in a grocery market, department store or coffee shop and confronted by a shelf of coffee beans, several senses influence the purchasing decision. In order to grab the buyer’s attention, your coffee packaging design must consider all five senses for an immersive buying experience.
The Five Senses of Coffee Packaging
Sight
The first sense of any shopping experience is sight, as noted by Brand Packaging. Sixty-four percent of shoppers buy a package off store shelves without researching it first. The design and wording of the logo, the bag style, the color of the coffee packaging, and the overall product design must exude confidence, sophistication, and care for the customer.
Touch
Touching a product increases the connection a consumer has with the item. According to Time and UCLA marketing professor Suzanne Shu, "When you touch something, you instantly feel more of a connection to it." By creating innovative coffee bean packaging that encourages consumers to feel the exterior and pick up the package, you are instantly increasing the odds that they will buy your beans.
Smell
Once the coffee bag has been deemed worthy of a purchase, the next three senses are required to create a repeat customer. For coffee bean packaging that indicates specific aromas to accompany certain bean varieties, a consistent and familiar smell must be achieved each time the customer opens a bag of beans.
Sound
When the customer hears the rattle of the rolling beans and the crinkle of the bag, it triggers a connection with the customer to the repetitive act of making coffee. Our ears have been trained to associate sound with food and drink experiences.
Taste
Finally, the taste of the coffee beans must be fresh. This is achieved by ensuring the long-term seal integrity of the package along with utilizing certain bag types and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) options. After coffee beans are roasted, they are often left to "rest" to allow the release of gasses before packaging. This "resting" time can contribute to staling of the roast. Choosing packages with one-way coffee valves that allow gasses to release out of the bag lets the roaster package their beans while at their freshest.
Is your coffee production up to par?
We know, it's not as exciting as the sensory experience of coffee, but assessing your coffee production and packaging processes is a vital part of your operations. Uncover hidden inefficiencies and improve your roast by downloading our free coffee production planning worksheet for a comprehensive check-up:
Originally published 1/28/2016, updated 5/3/2018.
