SCA and Savor Brands Team Up for Packaging Perceptions Research

Photo courtesy of the Specialty Coffee Association.

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and Coffee Science Foundation (CSF) have announced a two-year partnership with Hawaii-based coffee packaging, design and printing company Savor Brands to study packaging’s effects on specialty coffee perception.

“Multisensory perception is one of the most exciting fields of consumer research, and at a time when more people are consuming coffee at home, it’s essential that we understand the ways packaging influences how people experience specialty coffee,” Peter Giuliano, SCA Chief Research Officer and Executive Director of the nonprofit Coffee Science Foundation, said in an announcement of the research launch.

The CSF said the academic project will be led by researchers specializing in psychology, food science and/or multi-sensory product evaluation who will explore elements such as package shape, size, color, texture, sound, and imagery.

Photo courtesy of the Specialty Coffee Association.

The SCA and CSF are pitching the research as potentially advantageous to coffee companies engaged in packaging and marketing coffees, particularly for home consumers.

The field of academic research regarding multisensory perception in coffee has historically been on the narrow side, but several interesting projects in recent years have explored how coffee packaging affects consumers’ perceptions and purchasing decisions.

Multisensory perception has also gained prominence in the coffee field through the SCA and Coffee Roasters Guild‘s own Sensory Summit (U.S. and UK) and Sensory Forum (Asia) events, geared toward industry professionals.

In addition to the packaging research project, the CSF recently announced it was enlisting research partners at the University of Oregon, Oregon State University and the University of Portsmouth (UK) for an examination of espresso extraction.

The CSF said it expects the packaging research to result in academic papers, press reports and presentations at industry events in the coming years.