Packaging can encompass more than a creative, effective and appealing brand appearance (Hamdar et al., 2018; Borah & Dutta, 2019). Packaging increases the buying behaviour because of the selling proposition which is communicated through the quality, colour choices, outer layer wrapping and other packaging characteristics (Hamdar et al., 2018; Parker et al., 2015; Sivagnanasundaram, 2019).
The growth of coffee consumption continues to play an important role globally as well as in South Africa. Iain Evans states that the country has inventive styles and a unique culture, motivating the land’s coffee industry by carving a successful opportunity in the global market. The development of South Africa’s coffee culture has created an identity of its own (Bizcommunity, 2019). According to Dylan Cumming (managing director of Beaver Creek Coffee Estate in Eastern Cape), South Africans demand premium and high-end speciality coffees and express that they are interested in more than just enjoying a beverage (Bizcommunity, 2018).
The current definition for the term PREMIUM is a higher than normal quality product and packaging, with high prices, only offered through distribution channels of high quality and advertised on a selective basis (Quelch, 1987, Anselmsson, Bondesson, & Johansson, 2014; Lyons & Wien, 2018; Sjostrom, Corsi, & Lockshin, 2016). With the demand for premium coffee growing exponentially, the marketing industry needs to guarantee that they follow the industry developments as well as the consumer’s requirements and partialities changes (Bizcommunity, 2018).
According to the International Coffee Organization, coffee is the second most purchased beverage worldwide (ICO, 2018). The coffee industry is increasingly encouraged by coffee consumers and coffee shops, to change its production approach to be more environmentally friendly and which protects our living environment (Giovannucci, 2001; Giovannucci, Potts, Killian, Wunderlich, Schuller, Soto, Schroeder, Vagneron and Pinard, 2008; Taylor, 2005).
The waste of packaging influences the consumer’s perception of quality towards the brand identity (Lindh, Olsson, & Williams, 2016; Lindh, Williams, Olsson, & Wikström, 2016). Designers, therefore, should keep in mind what happens after the packaging has fulfilled its purpose during its lifespan. Food packages become redundant immediately after consumption. Sustainability is critical to consider in the packaging design process and to reduce wastage. Packaging reduces food wastage from manufacturing to consumption (Gustavsson et al. 2011). This reduction is the reason why designers need to find the balance between the quality of the package and the impact on the environment (Maffei & Schifferstein, 2017).
MOCO Coffee was chosen and consent obtained to be utilised as a conceptual client for the redesign of their packaging by incorporating more sustainable packaging elements. The process will be documented and published, the process steps will be posted on a continuous blog post each month.
There are three questions you must have the answer to before you start designing the packaging for a product:
· What is the product?
· Who’s the consumer of the product?
· What are the brand properties?
COFFEE PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS
Coffee is one of the biggest and most important agribusiness products, it therefore requires packaging as it is globally sold(Borah & Dutta, 2019). Focussing on the design of the coffee packaging it should be a combination of simplistic packaging that utilises methods that enhances the distribution process and have a design that is perceived as premium quality (Borah & Dutta, 2019). Coffee’s beverage quality is based upon the aroma and flavour which is formed during the roasting of the green beans (Borém et al., 2013). To prolong the freshness of the coffee the packaging requires properties that form a barrier to keep out the oxygen (O₂). Furthermore, the packaging should have a one-way vent where only carbon dioxide (CO₂) leaves the packaging (Kiyoi, 2010). Coffee producers tend to use several types of materials and multi-laminates to prolong and protect the coffee within the retail store, for example, polyethylene, aluminium and paper to name a few.
CONSUMER PROFILE
To use packaging as the basic concept of marketing, one must first comprehend the consumer to fulfil their desired needs (Maffei & Schifferstein, 2017; Stewart, 1995). The consumer can be evaluated upon their dissection to satisfy their demands. The consumer dissections can be divided into multiple aspects such as demographics ranging from age to religion, behavioural elements such as product use and contribution, psychographic aspects such as lifestyle and character, and consumer geographical standpoint (Solomon et al. 2010).
Consumers can be further examined upon the type of consumer they are and how they influence the market itself (Maffei & Schifferstein, 2017). There are two primary consumers namely worldwide consumers that are loyal to the brand of the package and environmental consumers concerned with moral and social responsibility (Maffei & Schifferstein, 2017). MOCO Coffee consumers would be profiled to be a combination of both as they are in search of premium quality coffee and packaging while concerned with being sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The consumer who is a green consumer citizen can be classed as a subgroup of consumers who are active in society, shown by their habits in consumption of products and being aware of the life cycle of the product from production to recycling of the waste. This action is an expression of green citizenship, and they do not function on their own (Jørgensen, 2013).
BRAND PROPERTIES
