Coffee Labelling Essentials
Coffee packaging labels serve dual purposes — regulatory compliance and brand storytelling. Coffee buyers are increasingly knowledgeable and expect detailed origin, roast, and tasting information on the label.
Required Information
- Product name (e.g. Single Origin Colombian Coffee)
- Net weight in grams
- Ingredients (for blends or flavoured coffee)
- Allergen declarations if applicable (flavoured coffees may contain milk, nuts)
- Best before date or roast date
- Storage instructions
- Business name and address
- Country of origin
What Coffee Buyers Expect
- Origin: Country, region, farm/cooperative name
- Variety: Arabica, Robusta, specific cultivar
- Processing: Washed, natural, honey
- Roast level: Light, medium, dark (often with a visual scale)
- Tasting notes: Flavour descriptors
- Altitude: Growing elevation in MASL
- Roast date: Specialty coffee buyers prefer roast date over best before
Valve Placement
Most coffee bags have a one-way degassing valve that allows CO2 to escape without letting air in. When designing your label, you must account for the valve position — typically centre-front or upper-front. Leave a clear area (at least 25mm diameter) around the valve. Do not cover the valve with your label as this prevents degassing and can cause the bag to inflate or burst.
Material Considerations
Coffee bag labels must adhere to various pouch materials:
- Kraft paper pouches: Textured surface — standard adhesive works but high tack is better for rough kraft
- Foil-lined pouches: Smooth surface — standard adhesive works well
- Matte laminated pouches: Low surface energy — test adhesion before bulk ordering
Vinyl labels are recommended for their durability. Matte vinyl gives the artisan, specialty feel most coffee brands want.
Common Label Sizes
- 250g pouch: 80mm x 55mm front or 60mm x 60mm
- 500g pouch: 90mm x 65mm front
- 1kg pouch: 100mm x 75mm front
- Sample/drip bags: 50mm x 35mm
Ordering
StickerNation prints coffee labels on matte and gloss vinyl. No minimum order — perfect for single-origin micro-lots and seasonal releases. Design free online.