Coffee Design: Elixr Coffee In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia’s Elixr Coffee is a coffee company on the grow. Eight years in, Elixr is cranking out coffee at three cafes, including a fresh roastery and cafe that opened last year. This year, Elixr is rolling out new packaging that’s sophisticated and practical. Stackable, shippable, displayable blue boxes with colorful and well-executed labels. We asked Elixr’s Evan Inatome to tell us more.

When did the coffee package design debut?

We just rolled these out on Thursday, January 25th, although the design process has almost been a year in the making.

Who designed the package?

Smith and Diction, a local company, has been amazing from start to finish. Extremely talented hard-working professionals, they have an honest knack for good design. I just hope they will still be affordable in 5 years!

Tell us about the different portraits, illustrations, and labels for the offerings.

Our really special single origin coffees always get a hand-drawn illustration. For instance, the one pictured is the great Arturo Aguirre Sr, owner of the legendary (and seven-time COE winning) farm, Finca El Injerto. Our blends also get a custom illustration.

The Ethiopia Limu’s label is noticeably minimal. Was that intentional?

Our standard single origin offerings all have a minimal, but elegant design. We love illustrations, but we also love simplicity. So the single origin label is thoughtful and minimal, but noticeably different from the look of our blends and “reserve” coffees.

Why do you feel aesthetics are important in coffee packaging?

One of Elixr’s core operating philosophies is to execute everything within our power as best as we possibly can. At the cafe level that means things like finding the best local milk or procuring the best chocolate chip cookies in the city. It’s the details and follow-through that are extremely important. So in bringing that philosophy to all aspects of the business, we decided it was time for packaging to get a much-needed redesign. We realized that it’s a damn shame to let something so special sit in an often-wrinkly package, on an often-disheveled looking retail shelf.  So the packaging should be an extension of the coffee experience: thoughtful, simple and elegant.

Where is it currently available?

Many of Philly’s favorite haunts: Federal Donuts, Essen Bakery, Machine Shop Bakery, Knead Bagels, Rooster Soup, Dotties Donuts, Middle Child, Girard, Alchemy Coffee, five points coffee in addition to lots of local Restaurants and grocery stores.  Outside of the city, you can find us in Loma and Coffee Mode in Delaware or Azafran, a Baked Joint, and Baked & Wired in the Maryland/DC area.

Thank you!

Zachary Carlsen is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge.

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