Luxury Coffee: Existing Products

In order to gain an understanding of the luxury coffee market I've looked at some of the retailers suggested within the brief as well as others I've identified.

John Lewis stocks a number of brands within their food and drink gift sections:
Whittards (see figures 1-2):
Whittards is widely known for mainly selling lose leaf tea, however among the variety of teas available in John Lewis I also discovered some ground coffee. These tins where all quite similar in shape and design with the different types of coffee being identified by a colour on the label and a number relating to the strength of the coffee. This similarity allowed the tins to be identifies as belonging to one brand and could be easily visualised within a gift set, however no gift set was available. The design itself is very simple, with good use of negative space to give a more modern and luxurious feel to the product compared to others on the market which appear to speak more to an older more sophisticated audience. This can be seen in other products sold by Whittards such as there luxury hot chocolate gift sets (see figure 3) which appeals to an older audience due to the patterns featured within the design of the tins. However the interesting aspect of this fit set was how the tins fit together in order to complete the set.

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Liberty London (figures 4-6)
In a similar style to Whittards, Liberty features patterns particularly florals within it packaging creating an easily recognisable image, attracting an older audience who are more likely to have more disposable income. Although the patterns create an easily recognisable brand its sometimes difficult to distinguish between the different drinks available as hot chocolate, tea and coffee all feature similar patterns on the tins creating a slightly confusing user experience in store (see figure 4). However the similarities in patterns works well within the gift sets (see figure 5) as the colours compliment each other. The presentation of the gift sets was intersting as you can see everything included in the set easily in the same way to the gift sets by Whittards. In relation to Liberty the main products I found where teas with only one type of coffee being identified (see figure 6) which wasn't easily distinguishable against the many teas and patterns within the packaging.

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T2 (see figures 7-13)
In order to further my research I also visited T2 which is a high end tea shop selling specialist teas and tea equipment. Despite this brand specialising in tea I found the branding interesting as they take a more modern and clean cut approach to luxury branding compared to other who focus on patterns. Personally I like this approach as it create a universal brand that attract an audience of varying ages who are interested in the luxury drinks industry. The interesting aspect of T2 is the presentation of the products within the shop itself as all the teas are contained within square boxes which line the walls set out by variety such as black tea and green tea. Furthermore the simplicity of the package with a consistant colour (orange) of the box and an additional colour to identify the specific tea itself. Additionally some teas do feature patterns (see figure 7-9) however they relate to the tea itself and are all different so each tea can be easily identified. Further more all the patterns still fit within the modern aesthetic of the brand allowing for a consistant identity to be maintained despite the use of different designs within the packaging. In addition T2 also sells refill packs (see figure 10) which feature a more simplistic design with the only colour coming from the colour that identifies that specific tea. The interesting aspect to T2's packaging is the variety of materials and finishes used within the packaging which gives a more luxurious feel to the packaging, complementing the simplicity of the design (see figures 11-13).

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Harrods (see figures 12-14)
Harrods sell their own range of ground coffee featuring a traditional design inline with Harrods old fashion high end image (see figures 12-13). The traditional design featured on the tins speaks to an older audience which Harrods is known target. Interesting Harrods also have another range of ground coffee featuring a more classical approach to coffee packaging with the grounds contained within a pouch. Furthermore the simple design and modern aesthetic (see figure 14) speaks to a younger audience compared to other products sold. The card holder contains all relevant information with an effective use of negative space supporting the modern and clean aesthetic.

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Fortnum & Mason (see figures 15-17):
Fortnum & Mason sell a range of different ground coffee, including a range of gifts sets (see figures 15-17). These sets are set within a classic gift box all featuring the same pattern with the different coffees being identified through the coloured label. The classic pattern and consistent design creates a strong brand image and consistency throughout the gift set and across the individual products (see figures 16-17). In addition the use of patterns and serif typeface to fit inline with Fortnum & Mason brand image attracts an older audience due to the tradition associated with the brands aesthetic.

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