Packaging design has come a long way since manufacturers simply placed products in nondescript tins and sacks.
Advancements in technology and materials mean businesses can now personalise their packaging with fewer limitations. This can help ensure packaging is able to survive transportation and storage, as well as help to differentiate a product from competitors.
These advancements have extended to takeaway food and beverage packaging. Notably, a growing number of specialty coffee roasters and cafés are realising the power of branding elements, such as takeaway coffee cups and containers to keep their business top of mind.
Rightly so, coffee brands pay special attention to the strategic and creative use of colour, fonts and images on coffee bags and takeaway cups. However, roasters and cafés can also use other senses to engage customers and help offerings stand out.
One option available is embossing takeaway coffee cups. Here is what that can involve and the benefits it can offer.
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What is embossing?
Embossing refers to the decorative process of creating a raised impression of a design, letters, or pattern on a surface.
It results in a 3-dimensional design on one side of the material and a recessed design on the other.
The art of embossing materials dates back centuries. In the 15th century, stamping plates were costly to produce and difficult to come by. Therefore, it was typically the rich and famous who had access to bespoke stamping plates to imprint addresses and crests onto documents.
By the 19th century, businesses realised they could use embossing to enhance a product or packaging finish to make it more attractive and unique.
While embossing machines and techniques vary, the typical process is relatively cost-effective and simple to produce at scale.
As with letterpress printing, a raised and recessed metal die is produced that fits into each other to produce the desired effect. When a material is placed between the die, heat and pressure are applied to create the embossed finish.
Today, embossing can be as sophisticated or simple as a business requires. For instance, it can have single or multiple layers to create complex designs. Embossing can also be combined with embellishments to create a foil or pearlescent effect.
Various embossing techniques exist, such as blind embossing and registered embossing. This refers to adding embellishments such as ink and foil to the design to create a more sophisticated look.
Why emboss takeaway coffee cups?
Embossing has amazing potential to transform your customer’s experience of your takeaway coffee.
When a customer evaluates a purchase they have made, they may develop expectations of it based on intrinsic and extrinsic cues.
These cues may impact how well a customer likes the purchase, and whether they are likely to make a repeat one.
As takeaway coffee purchases take place through direct contact, it will involve the customer touching the cup before and during consumption.
Their sense of touch will impact this and will complement their first visual impressions of it, even giving it certain connotations on its quality.
The more variety in the packaging material, the more likely it is that a customer will want to touch it.
A 2021 paper on the relationship between sensory marketing, packaging, and purchasing decisions of a coffee product reveals that packaging produced with sensory marketing in mind can engage a customer’s senses.
This, in turn, encourages them to examine the packaging information and logo to find out more about the brand and product, and eventually purchase it.
It even has the possibility of helping customers more readily recall the coffee they consumed or who made it later by tying it to a sensory memory of handling the cup.
When coupled with other packaging qualities, embossing takeaway coffee cups can help create a more enticing product for customers to consider.
Integrating embossed takeaway coffee cups into your coffee business
With a new business year around the corner, it may be the perfect time to reevaluate your choice of takeaway coffee cups.
If you are interested in embossing takeaway coffee cups, it may be useful to keep a few other packaging trends in mind.
A core factor that may affect the packaging industry in 2023 will be customers’ increased demand for environmentally friendly packaging.
A growing number of consumers are actively seeking purchases that are sustainably produced or environmentally friendly. Furthermore, they want the brands they purchase from to take a stance on global and social issues.
This means you will also need to evaluate your choice of takeaway cup material and printing ink before embossing to ensure it can easily be recycled or composted.
More so, it requires exploring cups that are made from paper and coated with non-toxic materials instead of plastic. It also means using environmentally friendly inks that will not contribute to pollution as it degrades.
Prevent customers from incorrectly disposing of their cups by advising them on the ideal disposal. This can be done by custom-printing instructions on the cup, or through a QR code that leads customers to a video or website.
While this will work in areas where recycling bins are available, you might need to explore your own collection and processing options for the cups to keep them from ending up in a landfill.
Working with an experienced takeaway cup manufacturer will help you address many of these concerns, as they will have experience in managing the processing and disposal of their own products.
If your current takeaway cup provider cannot offer you embossing or is unable to provide you with eco-friendly material options, you might want to switch to one that does.
MTPak Coffee can help design your takeaway coffee cups from scratch. We can help you choose the right sizes for your audience, print and brand them using non-toxic inks, and even help you package your ground and whole-bean coffee.
Our range of sustainable takeaway coffee cups is made from recyclable materials such as PET and kraft paper, with an environmentally friendly PLA lining.
Our cups are available in three sizes: 8oz, 12oz, and 16oz. In addition to being strong, waterproof, lightweight, and 100% compostable, our cups can be custom-designed using innovative digital printing technology to feature your brand logo or a QR code that leads consumers to your website.
We also offer a range of low minimum order quantity (MOQ) options. This means you can order as few as 500 fully customised units in just five working days.
