Design Details: Modern Times Goes for the Gold

New packaging from Modern Times Beer + Coffee in San Diego. All images courtesy of Modern Times.

San Diego’s Modern Times Beer + Coffee has a whole new shine in its coffee packaging, led by reflective gold on white. 

Made from 100% LDPE plastic (plastic #4), which can be tossed directly into curbside recycling bins in some jurisdictions, the new bags represent the first major rebranding in the coffee aisle since Modern Times came under new ownership. 

The sides of the bags now offer a warm golden glow where busy patterns previously buzzed. Those patterns have been recalled as rectangular frames in the new bags’ more informative front labels. 

Up front, a golden script logo is set upon a clean white slate. The gold color scheme also signifies the quality of the product inside, presenting the air of a high-end luxury good.

The redesign was led by an in-house team, and it comes as Modern Times navigates its second year under parent company Craft ‘Ohana, which formed in the wake of Modern Times’ merger with Maui Brewing Company.

“Innovation is at our core, and our senior leadership is hands-on in brainstorming and getting the right resources to see a new idea come to fruition,” Modern Times Beer + Coffee Brand Director Katherine von Thelen told Daily Coffee News. “It’s great to have so much collaboration and support throughout the company to grow the coffee program.”

At one point prior to the pandemic, Modern Times Beer + Coffee was running eight retail locations, including taprooms in Oakland, Santa Barbara and Portland, Oregon, plus full-service taproom cafes in Downtown Los Angeles and Anaheim.

The company has since downsized retail operations to three San Diego-area bars, including the original Point Loma brewery, where the production roastery remains in full swing. The coffee operation has five dedicated staff members, according to a recent company press release.  

Von Thelen said Modern Times coffee plans to lean deeper into its creative barrel-aging program, while adding consumer-focused educational experiences and pursuing more collaborations outside the brewery. 

“Our new leadership opens up more opportunities for collaboration outside of our own brewery,” von Thelen said. “We recently did a joint collab with Alesmith Brewing and Maui Brewing Co on an Imperial Coconut Porter using our Shadow Party Dark Roast. Relationships our Maui team has with coffee roasters in Hawaii give us some exciting opportunities for collaborations in the coffee industry in the future.”

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