Brill Coffee

Create a brand hinges on outstanding packaging. Create a brand reflective of the name the business is named after; "Brilliance", simplified. The packaging needed to look as good as the product tastes and encourage people to display it on their shelves and reuse the jars. The quality of Brill is much higher than other freeze-dried coffees on market, so it was important that the presentation and finish was reflective of this. Brill was founded on a very tight budget, therefore any design or marketing solutions needed to be cost-effective and able to be done without large capital outlay.

The solution was practical and cost-effective. Matte paper labels which could be self-applied onto premium amber glass jars. Premium recycled uncoated stock could be used for coffee tasting cards and hand-written thank you notes. These are low-cost, yet feel premium and build a strong emotional connection with the customers. Using the principles of good flag design (Vexillology), we developed the graphics from simple geometry and bold colours. In the case of the single origins, we reimagined the designs of the flags from the regions the coffee was grown.

In the two months after launching Brill with a very limited marketing budget, the client sold out of their first two batches of single origin coffees — the Ethiopian and Guatemalan. The immediate sales validated the business concept and funded new batches of coffee. The response from the design community has also been extremely positive with the work being shared across many design pages.

As well as the glass jar packaging which retailed for $50-$65, we developed a smaller ‘entry-level’ product — The Adventure Pack ($20RRP). This rugged, lightweight travel-friendly tin is designed for people who love the outdoors and great coffee. We used waterproof stickers on the adventure pack so it was more resilient to the elements. Coffee, like wine or beer, is a product where the label is instrumental in selling the product. While Brill is a superior tasting product, customers are initially heavily influenced by the aesthetic. The number of sales generated is testament to the design. Brill is a profitable business with a proven model, they’ve been able to purchase more supply and are now on their 4th batch. They have repeat orders and are now stocked in a handful of local cafes and wholesalers.