2nd Annual Sprudge Design Awards Semi-Finalists: Outstanding Packaging, Seasonal / Limited Edition

Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters

Sebastian and Phil have been in the coffee game for more than 17 years, and at this point, it takes a lot for them to be blown away by a coffee. A few times a year, during their travels to coffee farms, they come across truly magnificent coffees. When these coffees make it all the way to Calgary and continue to blow their minds, they’re considered as candidates for our new Uncommon Collection tins. We limit the lineup to 12 per year, and they’ve been extremely popular and well-received since their inception. We’ve sold out of each one, the fastest being 4 hours from launch! They’re always the first thing to be picked up and examined on a retail shelf or service counter in our cafes.

The Uncommon Collection tins represent the pinnacle of our coffee offerings. The coffees within them carry distinctive flavours, stories, and advancements in growing and processing practices. The unique character of these coffees deserve their own singular vessels, and this is why each tin is uniquely designed for each coffee – never to be repeated, and available for a limited run of these small lots. Coffees can be perceived to carry their own personality, and so do these tins. They’ve become a keepsake and collectors item for customers, and we’ve loved receiving photos of them in people’s homes and coffee stations.

Just as we expect the coffees within to stop people in their tracks, we wanted the packaging to do the same. The designs are intended to be both captivating and transportive, often embracing a level of surrealism that allows the mind to wander. The labels carry metallic foiling of key elements to draw the eye and play with the light. The aromatic hit of the coffee once they *pop* the lid completes the experience.

“All form, no substance” is not how we operate, and acknowledging the expertise and efforts of our producing partners is a vital practice to us. The Uncommon Collection coffees are named after the farm/producer, variety, and processing method, and we include the following information for traceability on each tin – Farm, Region, Elevation, Harvest Date, Lot Size, Variety, Processing, and Drying method.

Every tin is announced with a video that showcases the producer, variety, processing, and what makes these coffees exceptional. All promotional/marketing content is curated to match the unique artwork of each tin, to complement their individual visual identities.