Kaldis

When Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Company called we were instantly charmed. They make coffee the way we make prints; with attention to detail, an eye for quality, and a dedication to their craft. In 1994 they started as a small, local roaster and have grown to nearly 20 locations in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Atlanta. We sat down in the heat of a record breaking St. Louis summer and started talking about packaging for a new, limited edition, holiday roast. Channeling our winter spirit, despite the dog days, was just the challenge we were looking for and we started gathering details. Kaldi’s provided a color scheme, as well as a few design elements that would be carried across a wide array of other holiday products to be sold in their shops. They provided detailed background on the particular types of beans they’d be roasting, origin and flavor profiles, and a name for the specialty product; Tis the Season Roast. We started collecting textures found in the coffee industry, papers that would complement the overall design ethic, and typefaces that would reflect St. Louis traditions. Our goal was to produce a package that could be given as a gift that needed no additional wrapping. Tis the Season Roast would sit under every tree and be given at every office party, with love. And it’s been a success, with additional spin-off products. Tis the Season Roast has become an annual tradition. Each year we meet in the summer months, dream up a new set of parameters, and puzzle together a new package design. We make refinements as we develop new ideas making the package easier to assemble, experimenting with diecuts, folding the paper to create new dimensions, and developing collectability. Some examples…

Year 1 - The theme for the first package was traditional Christmas with rich greens and reds. We layerd papers for warmth, used a metallic silver for a little glimmer, and added a red bow to each package with the Kaldi’s logo.

Year 2 - We were inspired by “art deco winter white”, using muted grays and warm whites. Note of interest #1: we own the world’s only stash of 100% cotton paper, made from recycled t-shirts pulped right here in StL. It was a pleasure to employ that paper here. Note of interest #2: this package came with a hidden coupon that revealed itself once all the enclosed beans were brewed.

Year 3 - The baristas asked us to develop a package that was easier to assemble. We answered with a diecut slot and tab system that includes windows for snowflakes and other details. This was are first year using paper that was made from recycled coffee bags completing a sustainability objective for Kaldi’s, and a personal interest of The Firecracker Press.

Year 4 - With year four we were interested in finding ways to simplify the packaging. We’d been reading a few of Esther Smith’s paper folding books and remembered an old trick our Aunt used for wrapping Christmas presents. With a few easy folds we could make a ribbon that went around the coffee bag but also “magically” transformed into a framable mini-poster. The results were stunning; the projects was our most complicated to date!

Details: Package quantities fluctuate between 1750 and 2500 depending on projected sales and availability of beans form Ethiopia and Sumatra.

Each package is 12 ounces.

Budget: $2500.00 - $5000.00 (depending on quantity and objectives)