Behind the Scenes

A Look at the SCA Best New Product Awards in Packaging

by 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.