People have begun to form the expectation that we know the farmers.��

��We��re not just pumping out lots of coffee.

��Direct sourcing is our focus and it has really established us not only locally, but in the greater coffee community,�� she says.

However, over time, it has also been key to differentiating Recluse in a fiercely competitive market.

According to Aimee, it was the main reason for starting a roastery in the first place.

From the beginning, the focus at Recluse��s was on direct, ethical sourcing.

Direct sourcing

a coffee roaster loading green coffee into a coffee roasters in an article about The Coffee Bag Design Series: Recluse Roasting Project

��This approach felt the most representative of what we love and it��s from where we draw our energy.��

You��re not brewing it to get yourself prepared for work, you��re brewing it and you��re alone and it��s a different side of coffee.

��We also both grew up surrounded by nature and something we passionately love is camping and brewing coffee.

We love hiding in the roastery and roasting amazing coffee.

This is who we are.

But Jack and I are introverts at heart, so it felt true to us not to fake it.

��Coffee tends to get a perky and enthusiastic energy from people who serve it and make it,�� Aimee tells me. ��

They named it Recluse to convey what coffee meant to them: an opportunity to escape.

Launched in 2018 in Richmond, Virginia, the roastery was the logical next step for the couple, who already had several years experience working in the coffee sector.

It��s from this attitude that Recluse Roasting Project was born.

It��s what Aimee refers to as their ��natural state��, providing, among other things, a bridge for connecting with nature.

Aimee and Jack, on the other hand, see coffee and the experience of drinking it as bordering on the meditative.

On weekends, it��s a means of powering through a hangover and on long drives a necessity for staying alert.

For a lot of people, coffee is something that offers a boost in the morning and tops up energy levels after lunch.

Aimee Biggerstaff and her partner Jack are different to most when it comes to coffee.

This week, we spoke with Recluse Roasting Project about how their bags help reconnect with nature.

recluse roasting project coffee bag

The Coffee Bag Design Series: Recluse Roasting Project

For the full archive of articles and more coffee packaging content, visit MTPak Coffee��s Education Centre.

Did you enjoy this edition of The Coffee Bag Design Series? Next week we��ll be speaking to Rave Coffee about how they use typography to convey their message.

Although it may still be finding its feet, there��s no doubt it will be fighting its way to the front in no time.

This all goes back to the reason for starting Sumo in the first place: to focus on quality and help the industry move forward.

He��s working on a new packaging design intended to create a luxury feel while maximising the customer experience.

As for the future, Daniel has big plans.

It��s just our way of showing a starting point for the consumers.��

For me, as a sensory person, flavours are subjective.

��I don��t like to put flavours on the bags,�� he explains. ��

While hinting at some flavour notes, Daniel tells me it��s always better to suggest than to tell.

However, the purpose isn��t to over influence.

Similar to the Huila Pacamara, each colour has a dual meaning, conveying both characteristics (the yellow is candied lemon) and the region in which the coffee was grown.

This one includes a slice of watermelon (one of the coffee��s flavour notes) with a Panamanian sunset and a sailing boat floating in the distance.

For the Geisha, Daniel ordered custom-made tins, again, featuring his partner��s designs.

Although the coffee bags are striking and stand out against even the most eye-catching of designs, special lots demand a special type of packaging.

Sumo��s Kule Geisha, for example, is 90+ on the SCA scale �C with a price to match.

In few cities around the world are there roasters offering such high-scoring coffees, let alone in Dublin.

If winning the World Cup Tasters Championship wasn��t evidence enough for Daniel��s ambition, then the calibre of Sumo��s coffees certainly is.

Moving Sumo forward

customised coffee tins, custom-printed coffee tins, from Sumo Coffee roasters, in an article on Coffee Bag Design Series and Sumo Coffee Roasters

The only difference is that I believe you also have to follow up with a very strong product.��

It��s like a barista who makes a bad shot but does latte art well: they get away with it.

When you go to a meeting, it��s very important how you look.

I started with latte art because it��s visual.