While coffee jars and metal tins are uncommon in the modern specialty coffee scene, they were a staple within the coffee industry for decades. However, as consumer expectations and technology advanced, the industry shifted toward lighter packaging materials.
As a result, the specialty coffee market is filled with packaging made from sustainable materials. The most common are low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polylactic acid (PLA), kraft paper, and rice paper.
The most common way for specialty roasters to package coffee is to use resealable bags or pouches. These are not only easier to transport but also more convenient for consumers, who can open and reseal them as the coffee is consumed.
That said, when showcasing a rare or high-scoring coffee, some roasters choose to use customised “limited edition” packaging, such as tins or jars. Daydrink Coffee, on the other hand, has chosen to use reusable glass jars with colourful, eye-catching labels for all its products.
To learn more about why the brand has chosen to use glass jars, and what customers think, I spoke with the co-founder of Daydrink Coffee, Lilli Scott.
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Sign upWhat are the benefits of using glass coffee jars?
Glass packaging has been around for hundreds of years, and is often seen on supermarket shelves. However, it is an uncommon choice in the specialty coffee industry, despite the material having several benefits.
For instance, glass is nonporous and impermeable. Therefore, it will not absorb flavours or smells – making it an ideal choice for coffee. Furthermore, glass has an almost zero rate of chemical interaction. This means the contents are likely to retain their efficacy, taste, aroma, and flavour for longer.
“Our reusable jars are made from glass, which is a 100% recyclable material,” Lilli explains. Notably, glass can be recycled endlessly without any loss in purity or quality, and over a ton of natural resources are saved for every ton of glass recycled.
“After experiencing the abundance of wasteful single-use packaging, we knew we wanted to try something more environmentally friendly,” she adds. To further cut down on the impact of glass production, Daydrink offers customers incentives to return their empty coffee jars. “Then, we can reuse them and decrease our demand for more packaging.”
Daydrink also encourages its customers to reuse their coffee jars whenever possible. The brand does this through clever marketing that provides customers with ideas on how the jars can be upcycled. Some ideas include converting the jars into lampshades and terrariums. “We continue to be inspired by the many creative ways our community has upcycled the jars and love to see the endless opportunities they offer once the coffee is gone,” Lilli adds.
What to consider before investing in glass jars
It is important to remember while glass is infinitely recyclable, the manufacturing process can be high in energy consumption. This is due to the incredibly high temperatures needed to process the material. Essentially, producing a single-use glass versus a plastic container has a larger environmental impact because of the energy required.
Beyond this, transportation costs along the supply chain are likely to increase, as glass is heavier than plastic. Additionally, roasters may have to invest in additional secondary packaging to ship glass, as it is not impact resistant. When broken, it can be extremely dangerous because it breaks into several sharp shards.
On average, a package out for delivery is dropped 17 times en route to its destination, while over a third of online products are returned due to damage. When it comes to coffee, where contamination is a concern, the number of returns may be higher.
The cost of replacing a damaged product is more than a financial one. Even if the business is not directly responsible for the damage, it can impact repeat sales, customer loyalty, and brand image.
Using labels to convey your brand personality
Another way Daydrink has ensured its coffee packaging stands out is through its labels. Each label has a transparent backing to showcase the beans in the jar, while the design is relatively simple. It features the brand’s name at the top, followed by five rows of retro sun illustrations. The colours of the suns vary between green, red, yellow, and orange.
“The driving factor behind the visual aesthetic of our brand really came out of what we grew up loving and what we love now,” Lilli explains. “It merges the counterculture of the hippie movement with our love for fashion and skate culture. You can see the 70s influence come through heavily in things like our wordmark and jar pattern, but it’s used in a clean and modern way.
“By drawing on these visual influences and giving them a shake-up on application, they come together to create something that feels unique but also relatable,” she adds. While each of Daydrink’s releases shares a similar label layout, the brand adjusts the colours of the sun pattern to reflect flavour notes.
“Our labels embody not only the coffee in the jar but also our values as a company. They are bright, unique, and approachable – no different than how we want our cafe guests to feel every time they visit us.”
One of the brand’s missions is to make specialty coffee more accessible to the average consumer. “We want to make customers aware there are better options out there than what they can find at the supermarket. Due to our labels feeling unique and approachable, we strive to make that a lower barrier of entry. Visually it reads as ‘heightened’ without being perceived as too ‘expensive’ to try.”
To ensure the labels do not affect the recyclability of the jar, Daydrink offers to remove them for walk-in customers. Then consumers can take them home to upcycle, or the brand can wash and reuse them. “As far as we know, most local recycling centres do not require labels to be removed from jars when recycling, however, our labels are very easy to remove.”
At MTPak Coffee, we offer fully customisable labels for coffee tins and jars, so brands can showcase the personality of their business. We can help you with everything, from custom design to font type, colour schemes, and placement.
Make the labels on your coffee packaging stand out through a variety of customisation techniques, such as spot UV with a glossy, satin, or matte finish, embossing and debossing, as well as hot foil stamping in a variety of colours.
Our labels are made using eco-friendly materials in order to be compatible with our sustainable packaging options. Our coffee boxes are made using 100% recycled cardboard, while our sustainable coffee bags are made using kraft paper, rice paper, or multilayer LDPE packaging with an environmentally friendly PLA lining. We also offer our clients a low minimum order quantity (MOQs) for those looking to remain agile while showcasing a commitment to the environment.
