5 ms·

This is a great idea. A huge part of the success over the last 10 or 15 years in the cafe and coffee industry has been about branding and design. Starbucks kn

by gatsby 11y ago

This is a great idea. A huge part of the success over the last 10 or 15 years in the cafe and coffee industry has been about branding and design. Starbucks knows this: bright green straws, red holiday cups, etc. You can see a Starbucks cup from 100 feet away. Why should Starbucks, Blue Bottle, Coffee Bean, and Dunkin all capitalize on this, while a lot of the mom n pop shops that make the best coffee are serving their brews in 16 oz paper cups that they buy in bulk from Costco?

dublinben 11y ago
Inversely, why should you have to pay extra to get your great craft brewed coffee in a fancy paper cup? Branding like this is much less important for local businesses than national franchises/chains.
- bunkat 11y ago
  Totally agree. This is aimed at small runs, but for a small run of a standard box it was $2.24 per 6 cupcake box (much more for one with an actual design). What small shop can afford $2.24 a box? Quick look online found plenty of nice ones for $0.20 a piece that you could put a sticker on with your logo. This is what a lot of smaller places do in Seattle and it seems to work just fine.
  - GeorgettePkg 11y ago
    Yes, a lot of small businesses use generic boxes and a sticker. When I owned my bakery, I did the same. That's not to say that this solution is ideal; most of the generic boxes are flimsy, tedious to assemble, and give your customers the idea that your product is ... humdrum, not something you'd pay much for. If you're working super hard to bake something amazing, your packaging should complement and introduce your product in a splendid way too -- you need to do something a little different from everybody else. Larger brands don't invest in beautiful, branded packaging for kicks -- it has a major influence on the perception people have of their wares, and contributes a lot to the customer's experience of their product. In terms of unit price being high at low volumes -- we're constantly working to get that down! :D Our minimum quantities for custom packaging are some of the lowest on the market, and our pricing very modest by comparison, because we invest in tooling on behalf of our clients. I think it's hard to see how great our pricing actually is, because it's near impossible to find other packaging companies that do what we do, or put all their pricing online.. :)
    - rezistik 11y ago
      My experience growing up was that the flashier the box was the cheaper the cake tasted. The best cakes came from the bakeries that invested 100% into their products. I loved getting really great products in terrible packages, it had a certain feeling to it. That being said, I love branding and really hip bakeries and coffee shops with awesome branding will always woo me too.
      - anexprogrammer 11y ago
        My experience too. To add to that, the bakery I'd like to buy my bread and cakes from is the one that probably closes due to no branding. In fact it probably looks like a holdover from the fifties inside and specialised in just being a shop, not a brand. It's a little sad to me that brands have become so much more powerful than the product, though I'm not immune either. I do try though - I'll risk the bad experience and try the family cafe or unknown coffeeshop in preference to a starbucks or costa. Does mean I get something rubbish occasionally. Ironic that Starbucks such are a huge success but make terribly bland coffee. I've several friends who collect their mugs, but will never drink their coffee!
  - GeorgettePkg 11y ago
    Apologies for the big block of text, I clearly haven't figure out how to make paragraphs on here. :p [Returns to box-making].
    - nitrogen 11y ago
      You can press enter twice (so there's a blank line) to make paragraphs.
- GeorgettePkg 11y ago
  I think it depends on the goals you have for your business - there's a huge gap between little local spots that don't invest in being memorable, and major chains that everybody knows. Thoughtful branding is a major part of the bridge between the two. We work with a lot of ambitious, but small businesses that are keen to grow, be valued and loved by their communities, and be known for specific areas of expertise. Sharing that story is what branding has always been about. The price of a cup of coffee generally has a lot more to do with the experience and story (think Starbucks) than the cost of the beans, the hot water, the cup...
  - usrusr 11y ago
    It's good that you are seeing your market not in one of a kind shops but in small chains (e.g. n=1 but growing). The excessive branding of large chains is only a disadvantage for smaller chains (but not for one-of-a-kind shops) because location is such a strong part of memorability. Branding is just a hack to transfer a small fraction of that memorability across locations, most obviously exemplified in how Duane Reade got their brand name.
- bduerst 11y ago
  I would argue that even a lack of fancy paper cup, in a market saturated by them, is a form of branding unto itself.
seanp2k2 11y ago
Also interesting for pizza places. Many of the best pizzas I've had have come in generic boxes shared between many local shops.
- GeorgettePkg 11y ago
  Neat idea! :D
GeorgettePkg 11y ago
Agreed! This is why we exist.. we want the small businesses of the world to have the same fighting chance to be known, recognized, grow sales, and create jobs locally.
- snsn2828 11y ago
  I'd be interested to see the number of mom and pop shops that don't want custom simply b/c they lose the mom and pop, neighborhood type feel. A lot of folks these days stay away from logos on clothing, and would likely prefer their coffee unbranded. However since you got into YC, it's likely youve shown that a signficant number of small shops would want this, and that a decent business can be built. Good luck!
Alex3917 11y ago
> A huge part of the success over the last 10 or 15 years in the cafe and coffee industry has been about branding and design. Most mom n pop coffee shops aren't Lauduree though. If you have a great story then good packaging can help sell that story, but if you don't have a story then it's at best just waste of money. Or worse, it undermines the built-in story that comes with the Costco cups. I actually think this startup is going to do really well just based on the fact that there's a huge unmet need, but there's definitely some nuance to the situation.
- GeorgettePkg 11y ago
  I think you're talking about the value of branding as a whole, more than necessarily our role within that world... of course not everybody excels equally in that. One of the reasons why some companies always stay tiny, or just shut down, and others grow and acquire others is that they're better or worse at branding. We're keen to help those who understand the power of branding, and want to build their business using it (especially since social media is sooo huge for food businesses right now), but lack the tools. Packaging is just an incredibly direct marketing spend for small businesses, say compared to ads.. you're helping your clients market for you, in a fun way too. :)
sbuttgereit 11y ago
I agree with you, but remember that the accoutrements of branding are only a part of the picture. The products you provide (diversity, quality, uniqueness), the service you provide, the ambiance of the store/location/website, (yes) price, and as others have suggested, the story behind the store all weave together to form this thing we call brand. The more all of these elements can come together and compliment and reinforce each other, the stronger the brand message. I think Georgette Packaging can be an enabler for smaller businesses to cost effectively address some of these branding issues, but by itself, it will only be a part of a rather larger picture. This isn't to say their business plan is lacking or that they're offering something that will fail their customers... on the contrary I'm very happy to see someone offering this sort of thing at low volumes and do think there are a number of small entrepreneurs in the space that Georgette is targeting that will make good use of the Georgette products. On the other hand, Georgette may want to also look at suggesting ways to fill in those other parts of brand identity cost effectively or even partner with others (biz dev relationship sort things) that can get their customers across the branding finish line in areas more than just packaging. If Georgette gets some success, my guess is otherwise lost shop owners will Google their way to good deals on packaging, but may not know where to start on other parts of their identity... even a simple blog could help with ideas.
- GeorgettePkg 11y ago
  Totally agree! :D We love generating design ideas, packaging inspiration, and sharing business tips for small companies, since in many ways we're a hub in the most splendid community of creative food businesses... We have a lot of knowledge stored up. :) We're definitely going to be launching a blog really soon, we're excited. Honestly, the other side of our business that I think will be growing in importance and prominence is the ease we bring to manufacturers, by supplying them with extremely easy-to-process orders. Marketing, sales, and estimation can be a struggle for manufacturers, and our goal is to let them excel at manufacturing, while we help with the business side. Thanks for your thoughtful reply. :)
randomgyatwork 11y ago
Almost every single store in Japan has beautiful packaging.

by gatsby 11y ago

dublinben 11y ago

Inversely, why should you have to pay extra to get your great craft brewed coffee in a fancy paper cup? Branding like this is much less important for local businesses than national franchises/chains.

bunkat 11y ago
Totally agree. This is aimed at small runs, but for a small run of a standard box it was $2.24 per 6 cupcake box (much more for one with an actual design). What small shop can afford $2.24 a box? Quick look online found plenty of nice ones for $0.20 a piece that you could put a sticker on with your logo. This is what a lot of smaller places do in Seattle and it seems to work just fine.
- GeorgettePkg 11y ago
  Yes, a lot of small businesses use generic boxes and a sticker. When I owned my bakery, I did the same. That's not to say that this solution is ideal; most of the generic boxes are flimsy, tedious to assemble, and give your customers the idea that your product is ... humdrum, not something you'd pay much for. If you're working super hard to bake something amazing, your packaging should complement and introduce your product in a splendid way too -- you need to do something a little different from everybody else. Larger brands don't invest in beautiful, branded packaging for kicks -- it has a major influence on the perception people have of their wares, and contributes a lot to the customer's experience of their product. In terms of unit price being high at low volumes -- we're constantly working to get that down! :D Our minimum quantities for custom packaging are some of the lowest on the market, and our pricing very modest by comparison, because we invest in tooling on behalf of our clients. I think it's hard to see how great our pricing actually is, because it's near impossible to find other packaging companies that do what we do, or put all their pricing online.. :)
  - rezistik 11y ago
    My experience growing up was that the flashier the box was the cheaper the cake tasted. The best cakes came from the bakeries that invested 100% into their products. I loved getting really great products in terrible packages, it had a certain feeling to it. That being said, I love branding and really hip bakeries and coffee shops with awesome branding will always woo me too.
    - anexprogrammer 11y ago
      My experience too. To add to that, the bakery I'd like to buy my bread and cakes from is the one that probably closes due to no branding. In fact it probably looks like a holdover from the fifties inside and specialised in just being a shop, not a brand. It's a little sad to me that brands have become so much more powerful than the product, though I'm not immune either. I do try though - I'll risk the bad experience and try the family cafe or unknown coffeeshop in preference to a starbucks or costa. Does mean I get something rubbish occasionally. Ironic that Starbucks such are a huge success but make terribly bland coffee. I've several friends who collect their mugs, but will never drink their coffee!
- GeorgettePkg 11y ago
  Apologies for the big block of text, I clearly haven't figure out how to make paragraphs on here. :p [Returns to box-making].
  - nitrogen 11y ago
    You can press enter twice (so there's a blank line) to make paragraphs.
GeorgettePkg 11y ago
I think it depends on the goals you have for your business - there's a huge gap between little local spots that don't invest in being memorable, and major chains that everybody knows. Thoughtful branding is a major part of the bridge between the two. We work with a lot of ambitious, but small businesses that are keen to grow, be valued and loved by their communities, and be known for specific areas of expertise. Sharing that story is what branding has always been about. The price of a cup of coffee generally has a lot more to do with the experience and story (think Starbucks) than the cost of the beans, the hot water, the cup...
- usrusr 11y ago
  It's good that you are seeing your market not in one of a kind shops but in small chains (e.g. n=1 but growing). The excessive branding of large chains is only a disadvantage for smaller chains (but not for one-of-a-kind shops) because location is such a strong part of memorability. Branding is just a hack to transfer a small fraction of that memorability across locations, most obviously exemplified in how Duane Reade got their brand name.
bduerst 11y ago
I would argue that even a lack of fancy paper cup, in a market saturated by them, is a form of branding unto itself.

seanp2k2 11y ago

Also interesting for pizza places. Many of the best pizzas I've had have come in generic boxes shared between many local shops.

GeorgettePkg 11y ago
Neat idea! :D

GeorgettePkg 11y ago

Agreed! This is why we exist.. we want the small businesses of the world to have the same fighting chance to be known, recognized, grow sales, and create jobs locally.

snsn2828 11y ago
I'd be interested to see the number of mom and pop shops that don't want custom simply b/c they lose the mom and pop, neighborhood type feel. A lot of folks these days stay away from logos on clothing, and would likely prefer their coffee unbranded. However since you got into YC, it's likely youve shown that a signficant number of small shops would want this, and that a decent business can be built. Good luck!

Alex3917 11y ago

> A huge part of the success over the last 10 or 15 years in the cafe and coffee industry has been about branding and design. Most mom n pop coffee shops aren't Lauduree though. If you have a great story then good packaging can help sell that story, but if you don't have a story then it's at best just waste of money. Or worse, it undermines the built-in story that comes with the Costco cups. I actually think this startup is going to do really well just based on the fact that there's a huge unmet need, but there's definitely some nuance to the situation.

GeorgettePkg 11y ago
I think you're talking about the value of branding as a whole, more than necessarily our role within that world... of course not everybody excels equally in that. One of the reasons why some companies always stay tiny, or just shut down, and others grow and acquire others is that they're better or worse at branding. We're keen to help those who understand the power of branding, and want to build their business using it (especially since social media is sooo huge for food businesses right now), but lack the tools. Packaging is just an incredibly direct marketing spend for small businesses, say compared to ads.. you're helping your clients market for you, in a fun way too. :)

sbuttgereit 11y ago

I agree with you, but remember that the accoutrements of branding are only a part of the picture. The products you provide (diversity, quality, uniqueness), the service you provide, the ambiance of the store/location/website, (yes) price, and as others have suggested, the story behind the store all weave together to form this thing we call brand. The more all of these elements can come together and compliment and reinforce each other, the stronger the brand message. I think Georgette Packaging can be an enabler for smaller businesses to cost effectively address some of these branding issues, but by itself, it will only be a part of a rather larger picture. This isn't to say their business plan is lacking or that they're offering something that will fail their customers... on the contrary I'm very happy to see someone offering this sort of thing at low volumes and do think there are a number of small entrepreneurs in the space that Georgette is targeting that will make good use of the Georgette products. On the other hand, Georgette may want to also look at suggesting ways to fill in those other parts of brand identity cost effectively or even partner with others (biz dev relationship sort things) that can get their customers across the branding finish line in areas more than just packaging. If Georgette gets some success, my guess is otherwise lost shop owners will Google their way to good deals on packaging, but may not know where to start on other parts of their identity... even a simple blog could help with ideas.

GeorgettePkg 11y ago
Totally agree! :D We love generating design ideas, packaging inspiration, and sharing business tips for small companies, since in many ways we're a hub in the most splendid community of creative food businesses... We have a lot of knowledge stored up. :) We're definitely going to be launching a blog really soon, we're excited. Honestly, the other side of our business that I think will be growing in importance and prominence is the ease we bring to manufacturers, by supplying them with extremely easy-to-process orders. Marketing, sales, and estimation can be a struggle for manufacturers, and our goal is to let them excel at manufacturing, while we help with the business side. Thanks for your thoughtful reply. :)

randomgyatwork 11y ago

Almost every single store in Japan has beautiful packaging.