Pachamama Coffee

Tricorbraun Flex Drives Pachamama Coffee’s Unique Mission with Eco–Friendly Packaging Solution

Pachamama Coffee is redefining sustainability in coffee. As a cooperative owned entirely by farmers, Pachamama represents a network of over 400,000 growers from Africa, Latin America, and Mexico. Their organic coffee is roasted in California and sold directly to consumers through cafés, their website, and grocery outlets. By removing the traditional middleman, Pachamama enables growers to set their own prices, advancing its mission of delivering premium, sustainable coffee.

As part of that mission, Pachamama embarked on a rebrand of its 10-ounce and two-pound coffee bags, seeking eco–friendly packaging to give its customers a deeper, more tangible connection to its values.

“Today’s consumers expect the best, starting with packaging that looks and feels environmentally friendly. The coffee industry is highly competitive, and the stakes are high when you go through a rebrand. Therefore, we also knew our packaging had to be not only sustainable but also reliable,” said Thaleon Tremain, Co-founder and CEO of Pachamama Coffee. “We turned to TricorBraun Flex to help us deliver a solution that matched our product and told our story—because we aim to be the leader in sustainably sourced and packaged coffee.”

TricorBraun Flex recommended Biotrē™ 2.0, a flexible packaging film made from plant-based, renewable, and compostable resources. To address Pachamama’s sustainability goals, TricorBraun Flex suggested Biotrē™ 2.0, a packaging material that is 60% compostable and features outer layers of natural kraft paper and cellulose sourced from wood pulp.

“Without question, we determined TricorBraun Flex’s Biotrē 2.0 was the best and most reliable solution for our product,” said Tremain. 

Telling the Farmers’ Stories Through Custom-Printed Packaging Design

Pachamama Coffee took an innovative approach by involving its growers in the design of the packaging. Each bag now displays unique artwork that highlights individual farmers. While the in-house team had experience with label design, creating original art for packaging was a new challenge. TricorBraun Flex supported the process by converting these designs into print-ready files.

“In addition to the custom artwork, the specific shade of green Pachamama Coffee wanted was critical to the overall look and feel of the packaging,” said Tricia Beck, Packaging Consultant, TricorBraun Flex. “Since colors can shift significantly depending on the material, our Graphics Coordination Team provided multiple ink drawdowns to test how it appeared on the actual packaging. It was important to fine-tune until we achieved the exact shade.”

Tremain added that TricorBraun Flex was invaluable in guiding Pachamama Coffee through the complexities of custom-designed packaging: “They made the entire process so easy, answering all our questions and working closely with us every step of the way. From getting the individual artwork and sizing just right to providing tear sheet samples, they confirmed accuracy before we moved into printing and production.”

Meeting Consumer Demand for Coffee Without Disruption

To meet the growing demand for its popular 10-ounce coffee bags, Pachamama Coffee sought a partner to ensure consistent supply. TricorBraun Flex delivered by providing a flexible warehousing and inventory management program, keeping Pachamama’s bags readily available when needed.

“When it comes to lead times and warehousing, you must plan carefully and rely on your vendors to deliver on time. Running out of coffee bags can mean losing customers and business—the supply chain simply can’t be disrupted,” said Tremain. “We don’t have the space to store hundreds of thousands of bags, so TricorBraun Flex warehouses the inventory and releases it as needed. They’ve even gone the extra step to airship bags multiple times to our facility to keep everything moving until our larger boat shipments arrive.”

Sustainable Packaging Rebrand Sparks Emotion and Success

According to Tremain, consumers have expressed how much they love the new packaging, especially its authentic feel and genuine quality, which, he says, “has played a key role in driving demand and getting Pachamama Coffee on more retail shelves.” 

“When I think about the launch, I immediately recall the emotional response from the farmers, our employees, and customers when they first saw the packaging,” said Tremain. “It was a huge boost to our company’s morale, and TricorBraun Flex’s consistent support and expertise at every stage played a major role in helping us reach success.”

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