Gelson's Coffee Private Label Packaging Process Book (First Draft)

SINCE 1951

F I N E S T

PREMIUM ORGANIC COFFEE

MISSION STATEMENT To make shopping anywhere else unacceptable for consumers who value quality products, cleanliness, convenience, and personal service.

ABOUT GELSONS Gelson’s is a Southern California-grown chain of grocery stores that prides itself on good customer service, selection of quality products, local suppliers, and clean shopping environment.

It was founded in 1951 in the San Fernando Valley by two brothers, Bernard and Eugene Gelson, and currently has 16 locations all over Southern California.

DEMOGRAPHIC People who value quality & customer service Southern California residents Upper middle - upper class Caucasians Ages 35+

Gelson’s Markets is recognized as one of the nation’s premier supermarket chains. Each location is known for superior produce, quality meat, seafood and deli, a wide selection of wine and liquor, and exceptional service.

Each location has a central manager’s station that makes management accessible to customers at all times.

THE COMPETITION Despite Gelson’s reputation for celebrity clientele and locations in upper middle class to upper class neighborhoods, it experiences pressure from rivals like Whole Foods Market and Bristol Farms, as well as middle-market chains like Vons, Ralph’s, and Trader Joe’s. These companies have strategically improved the quality of their store brands to appeal to price-conscious consumers.

Gelson’s line of packaged premium organic coffee also has competitors such as Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee, Whole Foods 365, Safeway Select, Intelligentsia, and Illy. Peet’s Coffee and Starbucks are Gelson’s biggest competitor, with standalone shelves and an in-store line extension bigger than Gelson’s actual store brand of coffee.

All of these coffee brands range from $4 to $12 and Gelson’s brand of coffee lies in the middle at $6.99.

The store has a wide selection of coffee packaging, from tins and sacks to Keurig cups and individually packaged sachets.

EXISTING PACKAGING

Gelson’s current store brand of coffee is packaged in a plastic sack with a metal clip for freshness. The only element that distinguishes between roasts is the flavor label and a short description.

FORM IDEATION

SKETCHES: ROUND 2

SINCE 1951

F I N ES T

LOGO REDESIGN Gelson’s logo has barely changed since the late 1980’s. I wanted to give the logo more personality but still convey a sense of tradition. Taking inspiration from Gelson’s older script logos, I experimented with hand-drawn type and an oval label that can carry across all of Gelson’s products.

MOCKUPS One of the things that makes Gelson’s unique is that its 16 branches are exclusively in Southern California. I decided to highlight each location in the packaging using photography and paired them with the 14 flavors of coffee.

It gives the consumer an essence of what it is like to be there and ties it to the Gelson’s shopping experience.

FINAL SOLUTION

I settled on using a tin can to package the coffee; tin is cost-effective and reusable. My color palette is inspired by the Southern California beach cities Gelson’s is located in. Each flavor of coffee is linked to one of the Gelson’s locations and is color-coordinated to the strength of the roast: light, medium, and dark.

MERCHANDISING To merchandise these newly designed tins of Gelson’s coffee, I would design endcaps for the stores and shelving just for the Gelson’s coffee brand in the coffee aisle.

I would also place small displays in hightraffic areas like near the checkout registers and by the bakery.

During the re-introduction of the Gelson’s coffee line, there would be a table passing out samples of popular or unique flavors of coffee with a biscuit or biscotti.

The goal of merchandising the new Gelson’s line of coffee is to show customers it is a quality product comparable to other brands like Starbucks and Peet’s.