Join us for a conversation with team decent, a proud partner of Standart Issue 30.
Besides offering a wide range of pop sustainable packaging, I have read that your team offers creative input to brands when it comes to customising packaging. Is this a regular offering, and how might a collaboration start with a brand that needs help in this sphere?
Yes, we offer custom branding to anybody and everybody. It’s a massive part of what we do here at decent packaging and a way we can add even more value for our customers. We can customise almost all of our packaging, from Hot Cups to Coffee Bags, Greaseproof Paper, Paper Bags and many more.
We’re big on branding ourselves at decent - and believe it’s important for businesses to stand out and for customers to hold on to that experience. A great way to do this is with custom branding, and we work with hospitality joints to do exactly that.
Many businesses approach us first, looking for a sustainable alternative or to jazz up their current packaging. They’ll either come to us with a design in mind or will work with our in-house designers to create something truly unique, that looks great walking down the street in customers' hands. It’s also an excellent way to get people posting about your brand/location on social media - which we also share with our community.
We offer custom stickers too, which are a great way for people to add something unique to their packaging, without the full commitment. We are continuously chatting with both new and existing customers, seeing where we can help and add value for them. We regularly hear from our customers how much people love their branded packaging, and that it’s been a super impactful way for them to elevate their brand.
Although custom branding is not accessible for all cafes we want everyone to have the chance to stand out! That’s why we’ve developed a core range of colours, patterns, and artist collaborations to ensure everyone can elevate their packaging range.
How do you work with customer feedback to improve or develop products? Is there an example of a product that came entirely from customer feedback, or an improvement to an existing product?
We often bring a new product line in because of repeated customer requests or multiple customers asking for the same product. We always want to help our customers and will work closely with them to ensure we can help meet their needs and industry demands.
We also can bring in one-off products for a customer or work to create something that will fit their needs. We’ve created bespoke Paper Bags, Cardboard Boxes, Burger Wraps, Paper Straw styles, and are about to launch a new style of Clear Cup Lid due to a rising popularity in the market. Anything you need, we can do (as long as it’s sustainable of course).
Why was the first step in expansion to jump from NZ to the UK? What made that the obvious move and was there a connection there before?
Our founder Tony Small, was traveling around the UK and Europe and noticed the growing problem of an excessive amount of plastic coffee cups and lids still being used by hospitality businesses. He also saw that like in New Zealand and Australia, the speciality coffee scene was taking off and therefore there would be a demand for a sustainable packaging supplier to support independent hospitality business owners.
What also contributed to the move were the few notable Kiwi coffee roaster friends and customers who had made the jump and experienced success in the UK, the likes of Ozone Coffee Roasters, Allpress Coffee, Caravan Coffee Roasters and more.
'We’re big on branding ourselves at decent - and believe it’s important for businesses to stand out and for customers to hold on to that experience. A great way to do this is with custom branding, and we work with hospitality joints to do exactly that.'
Tony officially launched decent packaging in the UK at the London Coffee Festival in 2019. Reflecting on that event he shares “I felt like a little kid - this guy from NZ setting up a stand at the biggest coffee festival with absolutely no idea what to expect. The response from showgoers was amazing! An intense 4 days but amazing to say the least. It made me realise that we have a great product and service, and it's just what consumers are looking for. It fueled me to push harder and take our brand to new levels. That first LCF has helped bring our brand to where it is now.”
The UK has such a great hospitality scene - seemingly never-ending opportunities and new sites opening every week. We’ve been in the UK for four years and have established a really solid base of wonderful customers that we’re very proud of. We’re now supplying hospitality joints all over NZ, the UK, and Europe, have distributors in Ireland, and customers in the USA (sponsoring the upcoming New York Coffee Festival) with plans to extend our sustainable packaging even further across the globe.
Where did the idea for your resident Compostable Canvas artists come from?
Since day one of decent packaging we have wanted to champion local artists and celebrate our community. The idea for the Compostable Canvas came from this, as a way to work with up-and-coming artists who align with our brand.
Our Limited Edition Compostable Canvases are now a massive part of what we do and we feel lucky to work with so many talented artists. We saw it as a great opportunity to support these people and showcase what they do. We are now inundated with requests from local artists who want to have their artwork on our Hot Cups. We’ve supported local charities and run artist competitions through this range too. Our customers love having fresh designs and they’re a great way to stand out, the limited edition cups never last long. If you’re an artist and would like to collaborate with us please get in touch!
This article was published in proud collaboration with decent.
