Canned cold brew coffee is fast becoming one of the most popular ways for coffee drinkers to get their daily caffeine fix. Spurred on by increasing interest in cold brew coffee generally, specialty and high-quality coffee options, and convenient or RTD (ready-to-drink) coffee options, canned cold brew coffee products are hitting the market in droves.
Private label cold brew coffee manufacturers make preparing, designing, and launching an RTD coffee product more effortless than ever before. By offering their clients a comprehensive manufacturing service, from cold brewing through canning and transportation, businesses like Hardtank help coffee companies focus their expertise elsewhere and trust their retail canned cold brew coffee is delivered at the highest standards.
Packaging is often the first touchpoint with a potential consumer, far before coffee brands have had the opportunity to convert or retain via coffee taste alone. Nailing customisation, design, and brand aesthetics are essential to be selected first, especially in an increasingly competitive environment.
To learn more about the importance of nailing the customisation and design of canned coffee products, we spoke to Daniel Poll, founder of Noramble, a packaging design agency in Manchester.
Why are great branding and aesthetics so important in the modern coffee industry?
Canned cold brew coffee is most popular among younger generations, especially Millenials and Gen Z. Their preferences for convenient products, non-alcoholic alternatives, highly customised beverages, and tech-savvy branding and design puts them firmly front of mind when coffee brands are designing RTD products.
In a recent study, Edelman, a global communications firm, reported that 73% of Gen Z shoppers buy or advocate for brands based on their beliefs and values. Emplifi adds that Gen Z’s unique upbringing – amidst rapid technological and social advancements – has pushed them to seek a distinct aesthetic in the products they choose to purchase.
Four key parameters are identified when discussing brand focus for younger shoppers: diversity and inclusion, sustainability, authenticity, and community focus. From an aesthetics perspective, this means bold colours, sustainable materials, maximalism, and wellness-inspired look and feel.
Certain successful RTD coffee brands are already nailing the brief. BIGFACE, a Miami-based coffee company, uses sleek silver aluminium cans with block colours to affect a contemporary feel. Australian plant-based milk company Minor Figures uses a simplistic but iconic look and feel to drive home sustainability and wellness credentials. For both, the result is an aesthetic sure to appeal to the tastes of today’s and tomorrow’s coffee drinkers.
We asked Daniel how vital branding and aesthetics are to product success and why.
“They are incredibly important and actually often undervalued,” says Daniel. “Packaging design has such an influence on consumers.”
“I always say to people that your packaging is a 24/7 billboard that is seen by 100% of your customers and has millions of impressions every day. Knowing that it’s probably worth investing into quite heavily as part of your wider marketing mix.”
Asked whether he’s seen a rising demand for RTD canned packaging design, he says, “Absolutely!”
“The market was once one that was easy to stand out in, but it’s fast becoming one that is so saturated it can really be a challenge to shine through. We’ve just finished a project with SXOLLIE, the cider brand, on a new retail 4-pack, and that project had its challenges in really trying to get the brand to stand out.”
Just as Daniel and SXOLLIE have found in the RTD cider space, competition is as extreme in RTD coffee, if not more so. In 2023 alone, over 200 RTD coffee products, including canned cold brew coffee, were launched in Europe alone (one of the smaller global markets).
In order to convert a new customer to your brand via RTD, you need them first to choose to buy it. If they haven’t heard of your brand, your packaging, branding, and design is your sales pitch.
When you’re choosing to launch your own line of canned cold brew coffee, make sure to choose a manufacturing partner that offers immense levels of customisation. Ensuring you both have all the tools at your disposal will help you make that oh-so-important impact.
Why are aluminium cans an ideal choice for RTD coffee?
At Hardtank, we offer a range of private-label cold brew coffee products, all packaged in sleek, slimline aluminium cans. We have found that they are the best choice for the modern consumer. Aluminium is infinitely recyclable and the most widely recycled packaging material available. For your consumers, this level of commitment to sustainability is essential.
“Sustainability has been a huge focus topic for both brands and consumers over the last few years,” says Daniel.
“We’re seeing more and more brands become B-Corps and, in turn, really start to look at the impact of their packaging on the environment. Whether choosing to use better materials or making their packaging more efficient in size and weight, it all makes a difference. Sustainability will only become a larger buying motif for consumers as time goes on.”
Aluminium is lightweight, which helps reduce logistic carbon emissions, but robust enough to ensure strong shelf life performance and hygiene standards. It is also highly customisable.
Thanks to modern laser engraving technology, our clients can customise their private label canned cold brew coffee products with almost no limitations.
Of course, customisation extends well beyond the packaging design itself. Product customisation is a key motivator of Gen Z and millennial coffee consumption. These shoppers want to see constant innovation and product development from the brands they love. The RTD format is a perfect way to satisfy them.
At Hartank, for example, we offer nitro coffee – cold brew infused with nitrogen for a creamier, more decadent mouthfeel – cold brew tea and cascara, super focus functional coffee and other canned cold brew coffee options.
Partnering with a manufacturer that offers a diverse range of product options helps you add depth and variation to your branding and aesthetic, keeping your current customers engaged and capturing the attention of new ones with eye-catching designs.
To source your line of highly customised, unique, and specialty-grade canned cold brew coffee, visit our website or get in touch with the team directly.
We offer industry-leading MOQs (starting from 3,000 units), 6-week turnaround times, and competitive pricing to ensure you get to market as quickly as possible.
Register for our upcoming RTD webinar here!
Canned cold brew coffee
