Caribou Coffee has built a reputation for its outdoorsy brand personality and high-quality coffee, but as the company and category evolved, so did the need for a more sophisticated brand expression. To elevate its coffee packaging design and appeal to new audiences, Caribou enlisted branding & design firm Cue, Inc. to create a more modern packaging system for its Signature line of beans.
Cue’s design solution relied heavily on materiality and printing innovation to deliver a differentiating, premium on-shelf presence. Cue called on long-time collaborators, Partners & Hunt, to create packaging prototypes that would help test the design as well as define production specifications and targets.
P&H created a series of full-scale packaging comps that the Caribou team used to assess shopability and presence at retail. Collaborating with Cue and Caribou, we also tested a variety of production methods that simulated commercial printing and provided targets for managing consistency across multiple vendors.
Together, Cue and Partners & Hunt brought a premium expression to life that informed a fresh, exciting new look for the brand. As soon as Caribou’s refreshed packaging hit the shelves, the response from both loyal fans and those new to the brand was overwhelmingly positive. Customers appreciated the more sophisticated look, noting that the packaging felt premium yet still true to Caribou Coffee’s roots.
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About the Authors
Chris Thomas – Project/Production Director – Cue
For 15 + years, Chris has worked at Cue, Inc. creating trust and collaborative partnerships across client, creative and vendor teams. View Chris’s Linkedin PRofile.
Paul Hunt – President – Partners & Hunt Support
For 30+ years Paul has been working in the print production and packaging services business. View Paul’s Linkedin PRofile.
