Spring 2023 Issue

HANDLED WITH CARE

Everything we do at Huhtamaki is handled with care, from creating future-proof and sustainable foodservice packaging to supporting your business. You can trust that every item in our extensive line of foodservice packaging delivers for you, from our Chinet Comfort® insulated hot cups to compostable 4-cup carriers made from 100% recycled fiber. We offer sustainable options that are recyclable, compostable, produced with recycled content or made from renewable resources. Our innovative and solutions-focused products are designed to perform while also caring for you, your customers, and the planet.

To learn more, scan QR code, visit us.Huhtamaki.com or call 800-244-6382.

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KERRI GOODMAN

For twenty-nine years, I have had the best job on the planet (at least in my experience). From my naïve beginnings, jumping headfirst into the deep end of publishing and coffee, I was on a mission to make a difference. I devoured any information I could find on the coffee industry, from seedling to cherry to cup and everything in between.

Though the early focus was on helping small retailers survive in the competitive landscape of the early 1990s, the journey took me far beyond. Twentyfive countries and twenty-nine years later, my life was transformed. I do know the joy of making a difference. From raising funds to build schools in rural Guatemala and Costa Rica, bringing water into a remote village on Lake Atitlan, supporting the initial formation of CQI (through donations of $15k+ in the early years), thousands of volunteer hours on a variety of

non-profit boards and committees, empowering women through conferences and training in Central America and Africa and contributing to health equity for women in coffee-growing regions (please ask me about Grounds for Health!), I am proud of CoffeeTalk’s history and heritage.

CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT

When I began, I was the new kid on the block, eager to learn. So many helped me along the way, too numerous to mention all of you, but your generosity of time and knowledge allowed me to create this amazing tool for making a difference. It was quite intimidating going to my first SCAA in 1993, not knowing anyone. Even more intimidating was my first NCA back in the day of the Boca Raton conference style. But after a while, I was the one introducing new people to the industry and experiencing the joy of making meaningful connections and helping create community. Covid

brought yet more change, created a distance amongst all of us, and made the need for community even greater.

Covid, for me, transformed my life again. I flew to New Zealand just 48 hours before the borders closed, thinking I would be there for three months while the world sorted itself out. Three years later I will be a permanent resident in September and am marrying my Kiwi love, Ray on New Year's Eve in New Zealand. It is time to find a successor to carry on CoffeeTalk’s mission of caring, community and making a difference.

So if you find yourself looking for a change and wanting to explore the world of coffee publishing, please reach out and let’s talk. I am open to out-of-the-box thinking on transition.

THE DOGMA OF DESIGN

{ An Interview with Jon Allen, Onyx Coffee Lab }

JAKE LEONTI | CEO OF F+B THERAPY AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, COFFEETALK MAGAZINE

Your coffee bag or tin is arguably the most valuable tool your business wields. The product is a micro chasm for the entirety of your company. It communicates your brand, ethos, and abilities on the outside, while the inside holds your physical product—the fruits of your labor. The bag is your company's promise, and the product delivers that promise in one neat little bundle. Despite this, many companies invest as little as possible in their packaging and refuse to hire a qualified designer. Today we are looking at a brand with a unique aesthetic and approach to design.

Onyx Coffee Lab has a reputation for excellence as exhibited by its unnaturally high volume of superlatives and awards within the coffee competition sphere, including multiple US Barista championships, Brewers Cup championships and US Roaster Championship. They have continued this tradition with a win at the 2021 SCA Design Awards for Space, Brand and Packaging. Jon Allen is the Co-Founder of Onyx and one of the designers responsible for the company's branding and packaging design. Jon started an in-house design firm with partner Jeremy Teff, and they handle all of Onyx's packaging and interior design together. Jon and I connected to discuss their approach to packaging design and the decisions that led to their innovative design and materials.

JAKE LEONTI: Jon, how do you begin the process when working on a retail bag?

JON ALLEN: The goal for us is always, what messaging are we trying to showcase and in what order? People make determinations about the product in seconds on all levels: morally, ethically, and aesthetically. We work to understand the order in which things flow. What is recognized first and of most importance and how that translates down to visual, which is first. Then to texture, which is touch and finally, form and function as it is opened. We walk through those steps. In our design firm, we practice creating three rules for each project to follow, and then we emphatically follow those rules and use them as a guideline for every decision we make. This also works for interior design or architecture.

JL: So, you are creating a dogma for yourselves to create purposeful limitations and focus, correct?

JA: Yes. For example, in our current packaging (our three rules were), we wanted it to be monochromatic. We wanted the texture to be as important as the visuals, and third, we wanted to find a way to put the farm, the producer or the station where the coffee was from at the forefront. So, those three things informed the rest of the design. For us, that meant debossing our brand and hiding it, making It more textural and less visual and then embossing and putting the secondary color of

the coffee and allowing the rest to be monochromatic and focusing on different textural concepts.

This is how we approach it; this is the same for the last café we built. We said, rule one, no sharp edges. Then from the fork to the cup, to the table to the drywall to the tile, everything follows the rule. Pretty soon, what you end up with is a very cohesive onset.

This helps us filter every idea from there because if it doesn't directly within those rules, even if we like it, we cut it.

JL: I love that idea. It's a great way to whittle down options quickly and, at the same time, create a game for you to play. So how do we make a café with no sharp edges?

JA: That is so true. It is much harder to work within a box and yields much better results than if the sky is the limit. I usually find that companies often do their best work when they are on a budget and limited, stressed and pressured.

JL: What led to using the cardboard box as an outer shell to the coffee bag?

JA: There were two main factors for it; one was pure logistics. We were starting to do a lot more e-comm and sending in these padded mailers via USPS, which every roaster knows; it's the only way to ship coffee if you are

THE DOGMA OF DESIGN

Continued from page 8

under thirteen ounces. The amount of returns we would get was honestly unbelievable. We would receive many emails saying, 'Hey, my bag ripped,' or 'Broken coffee'. Stuff just happened.

So, that was the beginning. Then as we started to redefine the bag, we started thinking we should find a new shipper. Then we started talking about, 'What if the bag was the shipper?' That led us to do some research. If we put everything in the box, how many returns would we actually get with completely damaged bags? The answer is zero.

That was the practical side. On the aesthetic side, we were talking about not just being visual but trying to play with texture and making Specialty coffee special. Each box is special. The hope was that just like holidays, birthdays, or any time you're opening something, there is expectation, mystery, and intrigue. You know, you're not seeing the final thing. You're seeing behind the veil. I think that always adds to any product. If our goal is to make Specialty' up-culture', which has been our defining goal lately... then it has to be different.

Thus, a bag-in-a-box. Everyone loves cereal! They were way ahead of us with the bag-in-a-box.

JL: What is the approach to the copywriting on the packaging?

JA: To be clear and concise and as coffee forward as possible. We want to be open and honest. Instead of talking about light medium and dark roast, we wanted to discuss, from a flavor standpoint, development. So we use that scale (Traditional to Modern flavor scale) to this day which has been really great. It was a long adoption, honestly, for our customers. It has become a fantastic way for our baristas or others to talk about our coffee and point them toward what they might like. This scale was meant to distil all of that (roast, processing, etc.) into one measurement.

From there, it is pretty straightforward and gives a preview of what you can find on the website, which is a significant amount of information. This year we even added Agtron color to the information we provide.

JL: What do you consider a necessity for your bags? What are the critical functional components of your packaging?

JA: We are pretty set on the BioTre system. We have followed them from the beginning. We were BioTre 1.0 and then BioTre 2.0 and now BioTre 3.0. I'm sure there are other great sustainable bags out there. Everything feels recyclable, but to be genuinely biodegradable is the key. So that has been a non-negotiable for us—the same thing for the box. We also need a valve, so that is non-negotiable.

We recently got rid of the zippers to reseal the bags. That has become a controversial subject. We did that when we did the bag in the box. We thought the box worked as enough of a resealing mechanism because our goal was to get rid of plastic. This choice has generated the most amount of angry emails.

JL: It's great that you have stuck to your guns on this sustainability issue.

JA: Thanks! We also always have a batch code and roast date. That batch code is directly connected to our roast log with the curve, who roasted it, etc.

JL: Jon, what are you trying to communicate about your brand through the packaging design?

JA: Quality, intrigue and, above all else, a buy-in to Specialty. I don't know how else to communicate the value of Specialty coffee than first-hand. Specialty is not easy to adopt. We are selling an ingredient. In no way is it a finished product. Specialty coffee has such an uphill battle; We're expensive, we're hard to get, you have to brew it properly, or you feel like you wasted all

your money because your experience was bad. There is so much to do.

Encouraging someone to adopt a high-end product through packaging is of the utmost importance. So we need to showcase the most amount of value on the outside in order to ascertain the value on the inside. If the expectations aren't set from the beginning... which is, "Wow, this box feels great. This is really fun to open. The colors are nice. It fits with my aesthetic." If all of that meets an expectation, then you have buy-in. If you have buy-in, then all of that will follow through to the brewing and hopefully conscious drinking, creating Specialty fans.

If we don't get that buy-in from the beginning. If the expectation is low, that doesn't create a memory, and that doesn't create a habit, and that doesn't change the industry, and that doesn't grow Speciality. That, and it's an art form, and we love design.

JL: So rare that a coffee professional with skills and knowledge in the barista, roasting and green buying positions also has such qualified design skills. Jon Allen and partner Jeremy Teff bring this understanding of the functionality, design aesthetics and instincts to lead the curve for coffee packaging design. Onyx is pushed the status quo on transparency with customers, sustainability with materials and challenging the conventions that most roasters have come to accept.

A rising tide lifts all ships, and the more we can make Specialty coffee accessible and create value, the more longevity and success we will all enjoy. Of course, packaging plays a significant role in this bridge between the roaster and the customer. However, especially when people shop for coffee online where they are physically disconnected from the object, visual communication through color and text is paramount to success.

{If you have yet to attend the NCA Convention, you may be curious about its purpose, who is there, what you might learn, and the business leads you might garner by attending. In a sentence, this convention brings together industry professionals, including coffee importers, large roasters, and a few allied industry players, to transact business deals.

It's small; only 800 people attended this year. Nevertheless, I suspect well over $8,000,000 dollars in business was negotiated in a few short days.

While there are sessions to unify the group, many attendees are sitting in the hotel lobby, clearly engaged in important conversations that affect the price of a cup of coffee and solidifying future business.

FAVORITE SESSION

The entire audience showed up for the kickoff session to honor various industry leaders and organizations. There was an obligatory keynote speaker. Not since Jane Goodall spoke at the 2004 SCAA in Minneapolis have I been so captivated by a convention speech. To highlight the conference theme of Resilience and Reinvention, author Amanda Lindhout took the stage and held the entire room spellbound as she shared the traumatic story of being kidnapped in Somalia

NCA RECAP

JENNIFER STONE

and held prisoner for a year and a half. Her release through ransom, which led to a frailty in her confidence and PTSD, was an inspiring story of adaptability, strength of character and fragility. Her story: A House in the Sky

HIGHLIGHTS

Did you know the NCA successfully petitioned the State of California to remove the Prop 65 cancer warning language from coffee packaging? Not only that, it has created scientific and market research that proves coffee is, in fact, healthy. {Edward Giovannucci, Harvard School of Health}. To top it off, they have created a Labeling Guide that clearly outlines the murky suggestions by the USDA for coffee package labeling. If you've ever been part of a bag design, you know it is tedious with unclear directions.

THE APP

The NCA Convention had a great app hosted on CVENT. It was easily the best event app I've ever used. It was simple, had an up-to-the-minute feed of events, where to go and a list of all the attendees. In addition, it allowed you to update your profile on demand and to message other attendees through the app – a great tool. A bonus was that the NCA had gamified the use of the app by letting you sign up as a contestant to win prizes, whereby you collected points by checking in to sessions and visiting exhibitors' websites and social media, among other things that

encouraged convention engagement.

SUMMARY

The NCA Convention is in the business of coffee. It is NOT about drinking it, creating certifications, educational tracts, and showcasing the latest designs. However, armed with this knowledge, you can attend to network and gain access to meticulously collected and closely guarded data, plus share opportunities your company offers to this action-oriented group.

HONOREES

2023 NCA Distinguished Leadership Award -Charles Cortellini

2023 NCA Origin Charity of the Year Award – Days for Girls International

Amanda Lindhout

BEHIND THE SCENES

{ A Look at the SCA Best New Product Awards in Packaging } JAKE LEONTI

Ever wondered how the SCA Best New Product awards work? We did! The industry's prestigious award for new products within the consumer and commercial fields has a new online presence, making it more accessible and open to any company in specialty coffee. Each year, the Best New Product Competition recognizes new products that represent quality and add value to the specialty coffee industry. Thanks to SCA for sharing a behind the scene look at how the competition works.

Q: How are judges for this competition selected? Coffee professionals are invited to apply to be a Coffee Design Award judge. Judges are SCA members with a minimum of three years of experience in the coffee industry and a range of qualifications from design to marketing.

Q: What design elements are considered most important or of the highest value?

All design elements are considered of equal importance and value when creating brands, identities, and visual environments that companies in coffee use to stand out. It’s about the logos, the style guides, the stationary, the posters, the digital communications. A thoughtful design process that turns into outstanding brands, spaces, and packaging solutions.

Q: What separates the quality of one retail package from another? Retail packaging offers an aesthetically appealing design that offers alternatives in form, color, texture, or materials to others on the market. The design is in line with consumer preferences and current industry trends with sustainability in mind for an overall positive and creative experience for consumers.

Q: Are function and materials taken into account? Judges are looking at the function and the materials, considering sustainable solutions, innovation, and if the design offers something new to the market.

Q: In what way is sustainability considered? Sustainability is considered through what materials the packaging is made of or from, or the materials used in a newly designed space. Materials that are environmentally friendly or recycled, as well as new ways of using the packaging or the space.

Q: When did SCA begin the Design awards?

The Coffee Design Awards, formerly known as Design Lab Showcase, is a platform for showcasing great design in specialty coffee. First Debuted at the SCA(A)’s 2016 Specialty Coffee Expo in Atlanta with a focus on coffee packaging, it has since grown to include drinking vessels, spaces (both education and retail), and branding.

Q: How has the competition grown?

The competition grew from one category in 2016 to three categories in 2023. It has also grown to become a popular show feature at our European and Middle

East trade show, World of Coffee, as well as still being a standing feature at the Specialty Coffee Expo in the US.

Q: How many submissions do you get a year?

Coffee Design Awards receives up to 200 submissions in a year, split between our three trade shows. Packaging is the most popular category, typically representing over 50% of all entries.

Q: What do you hope to see from package design in the future? We hope to see that sustainability, creativity and innovative solutions keep being the focus–packaging with a strong brand identity that also provides sustainable solutions through new materials and function, is inspiring to see.

Be sure to see all of the product nominations at new.sca. coffee/2023-best-new-product-at-expo or explore the entries for the 2023 Best New Product Awards taking place at Specialty Coffee Expo from April 21-23, 2023.

UPS AND DOWNS OF ALCOHOL AND COFFEE

JAKE LEONTI

Alcohol and coffee are two of the world's oldest beverages and have shared many parallels over the ages. Both have been outlawed at various times in various nations. Despite some of these similarities, they have both existed at opposite ends of the spectrum. Coffee lives in the daytime since its primary function is to wake you up and make you more alert, referred to as an upper. Alcohol lives in the evening and nighttime since its popularity is born from making you less alert and uninhibited, referred to as a downer. Nighttime has its bar tenders, and daytime has its baristas, and never the two shall meet- until now.

That could be a bit dramatic; people have been mixing coffee and booze for some time. Irish coffee, to name one. They have not coexisted on such a large scale as the current trend saturating all the major booze brands. We all expect to see Kahlua and coffee though it was a slight surprise when the new Irish coffee was a Guinness cold brew shandy. Rum Chata put out a cold brew boozy product recently. Even Pabst Blue Ribbon, the least innovative alcohol brand on the market, put out a hard-coffee can at 5% ABV with the flavor of a coffee milkshake.

The alcoholic beverage industry has been a juggernaut for decades and the companies in this space grow incredibly wealthy beyond the realm of what most coffee brands will ever hope to achieve. So, why is the booze biz suddenly doubling down on coffee? The hard truth is that the adult beverage industry is in the middle of a steep decline. Alcohol is currently more than just a downer in the physiological sense. According to the Morning Consult reports, statistics show a decrease in spending on alcohol between 2021 and 2022, down over 30% in most categories, including craft and non-craft beer and hard seltzer. The declines over the same period for liquor and wine were down 26 and 27%, respectively. (May 9, 2022, Emily Moquin)

The pandemic has played a large part in this decline; however, it was a long trend that started well before the pandemic. In 2020 CNN reported on a study conducted between 2002 - 2018 that revealed that younger adults between 18-22 abstained from drinking by an increase of 6% from the previous ten years. Alcohol abuse amongst this age group decreased by roughly half. (CNN, Oct. 2020, Hunt)

The recent steep decline in alcohol consumption is cited as three main reasons. One is that alcohol is not seen as a daily necessity, and the rise in the cost-of-living over the last two years has driven sales down. Another reason is that more people, specifically millennials and Gen Z are more health and wellness-focused. Lastly, there are fewer social occasions for drinking. In an article from the BBC, they have explained the mentality of Gen Zers becoming "sober curious", where they experiment with going out to the night club sober as a conscious choice.

The data is in, and it is clear that as our society becomes more health and wellness-focused, they are choosing alcohol less. By the same token, when money is tight, people continue to see coffee as a daily necessity, and alcohol does not fit that description.

Coffee, by contrast, has been on the rise for the last two decades and shows no indication of decline. Specialty coffee, in particular, has steadily grown over the last twenty years and finally achieved the majority of coffee consumption in the US.

The National Coffee Association reported in September 2022, "overall past-day coffee consumption (66% of Americans over 18) remains at the two-decade high first reached in January 2022. Coffee is more popular than any other beverage, including tap water and is most popular in the Northeast, where 72% of adults have had a coffee in the past day."

With a clear upward trajectory in the coffee market, it is no mystery why adult beverage is getting on board the train. The margins and overall revenue potential in coffee are still lower; however, if alcohol can pick up

a piece of the coffee industry's market share, then it is a boost to them.

This strategy hit a saturation point with the Smirnoff signing up as a global sponsor for Allegra Events, which is responsible for the London Coffee Festival and all the additional cities under the same name. In addition, Smirnoff will sponsor the Martini bar and make craft espresso martinis at all the shows in 2023. This is a significant investment in the coffee industry and marks a milestone as Smirnoff promotes their involvement as much as Allegra.

This overlapping engagement is not a one-way street. As adult beverage declines, there is an opportunity to capture new customers moving into the sober space of coffee. One way to leverage this shift is by creating a cross-over product on the coffee side. In 2019 La Colombe was ahead of this trend when it introduced its hard-cold-brew-coffee. Last year

Fire Department Coffee launched a line of "spirit-infused" RTD coffee drinks, including a bourbon-infused Vanilla Bean Bourbon and, of course, a whiskey-infused Irish Coffee.

There is a clear shift in the market, and there are various ways to capitalize on this trend. As we just passed the Equinox, the trend is moving toward longer days and shorter nights, which is always positive for coffee but may come at the cost of alcohol.

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POSITIVE SOLUTIONS TOGETHER

At Huhtamaki, we believe that packaging is essential to protect food, people and the planet. Our ambition is to become the first choice in sustainable packaging solutions. We are committed to achieving carbon neutral production and designing all our products to be recyclable, compostable, or reusable by 2030. You can trust that every item in our extensive line of foodservice packaging delivers for you, from our Chinet Comfort® insulated hot cups to compostable 4-cup carriers made from 100% recycled fiber. Together, we can make a difference where it matters, redesigning the future of sustainable packaging solutions.

{ huhtamaki.com }

Huhtamaki 60.20476,24.65684

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