Bean to Cask: Barrel-Aged CoffeeLabel design for Hej Coffee’s Christmas limited edition (2023)
Overview
For Christmas 2023, Hej Coffee released a limited-edition coffee aged in whisky barrels. I conceptualised and designed the label for the two-origin release, using metallic vinyl and a whisky-inspired look to signal a more premium product on the shelf.
The brief
The brief came from the Head Roaster and Managing Director. The green coffee was aged for 45 days in whisky barrels, turned regularly to infuse evenly, and then roasted. It was released as two coffees, one from Mexico and one from El Salvador. The aim was for the product to feel more premium than Hej’s core range and to make its connection to whisky clear at a glance.
The concept
The label borrows from whisky labelling: a vintage-style serif, an ornamental frame, and numbered details. Each coffee is identified by its cask number and farm, and each release by its batch number and ageing time, so each bag reads as a numbered release. The name “Bean to Cask” sums up the process.
Colour and emblems
I chose deep colours that would contrast well with the metallic details, and drew on each country’s flag. Mexico is a deep red and El Salvador a deep blue. Both also feel suitably festive. Each origin has its own emblem. The Mexican label carries a poinsettia, a classic Christmas plant native to Mexico.
The metallic finish
The labels are printed on metallic vinyl, with the effect used only on selected details: the decorative elements at the top and bottom of the label and the silver frame. Keeping the metallic restrained makes it feel considered rather than flashy. It helped the product stand out on the shelf and reinforced the connection to whisky.
Evolving labels
The label sits on the standard Hej retail bag, so the bag stays consistent while the label does the premium signalling. The coffee kept ageing after the first batch, and the flavour notes developed with it, so I updated the label for each release to match. By the third batch the coffee had been barrel-aged for 90 days.
The outcome
Bean to Cask was an immediate success. It was unlike anything else in Hej’s range, with a boozy aroma that had customers asking whether the coffee was alcoholic. It worked well in an espresso martini or an Irish coffee, and it became a popular Christmas gift. Many customers commented that the label caught their eye and that they saw the whisky connection straight away, which is exactly what the design was built to do.
