Coffee is an essential part of many people’s daily lives. And people are becoming more and more particular about the coffee packaging. So what points do you need to consider when choosing coffee packaging? Which coffee packaging is best for you? I will tell you about these things next.
The Overview of Coffee Packaging
The primary purpose of coffee packaging is to maintain the freshness and quality of the coffee beans or ground coffee, preserving their aroma and flavor. And protect the beans from moisture, light and air. At the same time, packaging also conveys the image of the brand and plays an important role in attracting consumers. A good coffee packaging should protect the product while also giving consumers enough convenience and ease of use.
Points to Consider When Choosing Coffee Packaging
One-Way Valve
One-way valves are becoming an indispensable and popular coffee packaging technology in the minds of coffee lovers. Just after roasting, coffee beans release a large amount of carbon dioxide in the first few days. And then continue to slowly release carbon dioxide for several weeks afterwards. The function of the one-way valve is to allow this carbon dioxide to escape from the inside of the package without allowing outside air to enter. At the same time, other gasses will also be released through the one-way valve. You can smell the aroma of the coffee beans through the one-way valve. It certainly would increase your desire to buy.
Resealing Capabilities
The ability to reseal is one of the basic abilities of coffee packaging, such a simple ability but strongly affects the quality of coffee. Long-term exposure to air will reduce the flavor of the coffee. Good resealing ability can largely reduce the impact of oxygen and moisture on the coffee beans, so that you can maintain the quality of your coffee beans during use and preserve the flavor and aroma of your coffee beans. Common reseal techniques include tape closure, tin-tie and zipper. Zipper provide the best seal among these methods, but cost more. Tin ties use a flexible metal like tin that is bent around the bag to make a seal.
Vacuum Packaging
Vacuum-sealed packages help to maintain the freshness of coffee for a long time by removing the air from the package, creating an oxygen-free or low-oxygen environment, slowing down the oxidation process. It is usually equipped with a one-way valve to expel carbon dioxide and block the outside air.
Labels
Coffee labels are an important medium for carrying information about the coffee, such as the origin of the coffee beans, the processing method, roast date, other ingredients used, and some more detailed information, including light, medium or dark roast or the flavor of the coffee even your brand story. A simple layout provides customers with the convenience of seeing the information they want to know at first glance.
Sustainability
Sustainable packaging is the future trend. Although it is not the primary consideration of consumers, environmental issues have attracted more and more attention in recent years, and sustainable coffee packaging is favored by many people. Common sustainable coffee packaging materials include kraft paper, rice paper, and compostable husks.
Barrier Properties
As one of the basic functions of coffee packaging, a good barrier performance is important.
- Effectively block oxygen, moisture and light, which are the three main environmental factors affecting product quality. Prolonged exposure to oxygen will slowly fade the flavor of your coffee, lowering the quality of your coffee, and will cause your product to oxidize and deteriorate.
- Coffee beans are susceptible to moisture. The moisture can lead the coffee beans to mold, off-flavors, and a shortened shelf life.
- Light can break down the essential oils that give coffee its unique flavor and aroma.
Therefore, you can choose materials such as metal film or high-barrier polyester to ensure the barrier property of the packaging, and you can use intensive pattern printing to minimize the effect of light on the product.
Coffee Packaging Types
Flat Bottom Bag
It has many display surfaces that can present as much information as possible. It looks like a box. And the bottom is flat and able to stand, allowing for a stable display on the shelf. The top is simply sealed, you can easily pull open or cut it open. Large capacity means it is practical to use. Usually protected by multiple layers, often a blend of foil and plastic. Protect the coffee beans from light, moisture and air. You can reseal it by zipper or tin tie.
Doypack
A Doypack can also be called a stand-up pouch. It can stand up on its own like a flat bottom bag, but it is oval or wedge-shaped bottom, not a flat bottom. It may not be as stable as a flat bottom bag, but still suitable for shelf display. It has a smaller capacity compared to the flat bottom bag, which is suitable for packaging smaller volumes of coffee beans. It also means that it takes up less space, more convenient to carry. It is cheaper to produce, but usually has only 2 or 3 sides, which doesn’t allow for much information to be presented. It has a strong seal and is usually resealed with a zipper.
Side Fold Bag
Side fold bags are a traditional packaging method that can stand on its own, but not very well. These bags have side gussets that allow the bag to expand when filled, increasing its capacity, holding more coffee products. They are low-cost and easy to use, and are usually sealed with a tin tie.
Flat Pouch
Flat pouches are small two-sided bags that can be sealed on three or four sides, usually used in hotels and restaurants as single-serving coffee products.
Stick Pack
The stick pack’s appearance is like a long thin tube, small and easy to carry. Usually packed in a coffee packaging box, easy to transport and store. And the stick pack is usually used as a single use, containing a single dosage of coffee powder. Suitable for traveling and work.
Quad Seal Bag
The quad seal bag’s style looks a lot like the side-fold bag, but the quad seal bag is sealed at all four corners and looks more like a rectangle. It also looks like the flat bottom bag, which also has a flat bottom and also stands solidly.
You can distinguish them by looking at one detail. With flat bottom bags you can observe a bulge in the sides after filling, while the sides of the quad seal bag are flattened. This is because Quad Seal Bags have independnt vertical seals at the junctions where the front panel meets the side panels, and where the back panel meets the side panels. This design makes the four vertical edges of the bag very sturdy and stable. Inside, they often have protective layers that keep the coffee away from moisture and light. Usually use a tin tie or tape closure for resealing.
Pillow Bag
Pillow bags are a traditional form of coffee packaging that is economical. And this design minimizes the amount of material used and reduces costs. They are not able to stand on their own, they lay flat and are usually seen in restaurants.
Metal Can
Metal cans have excellent barrier properties, especially when it comes to UV blocking and air tightness. Its sturdy structure also makes it not easy to break during transportation and durable in daily use. But it is more bulky and not convenient to carry. Easy to use in daily life, can hold a large capacity of coffee beans.
Cylinder Coffee Packaging
Usually made of paper, environmentally friendly and easy to recycle. And It is lightweight, convenient to carry, and easy to stack, saving space. It is a very attractive coffee packaging, the design of it could be very exquisite.
PET Jar
One of the distinctive features of PET cans is its transparent appearance, you can clearly see the coffee beans inside the package. The transparent feature certainly makes the package more attractive, increasing your desire to buy. However, this kind of packaging is also very easy to make the coffee beans be disturbed by ultraviolet rays, which will reduce the quality of coffee beans. So, if you choose this kind of packaging, keep them away from direct sunlight. PET cans are lightweight, have good strength and are not easy to break. And it has good moisture resistance and air tightness.
Poly-Lined Paper Coffee Bag
These bags are lightweight and have some barrier properties. The outer layer is usually made of kraft paper or other types of paper, the paper is easy to print, label. The inner lining material is usually polypropylene or polyethylene, which protects the coffee beans from moisture, oxygen and other factors. And it often has a built-in tin tie to help seal the bag.
Conclusion
Now that you understand the key points and types of coffee packaging, you can better choose according to your coffee packaging business.
If you want the best coffee packaging solution, contact HonorPack now. We have a wide range of packing machines for different kinds of coffee.
