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Georgette Packaging (YC W16) Makes Custom Branded Boxes and Cups for Bakeries

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Re: Georgette Packaging (YC W16) Makes Custom Branded Boxes and Cups for Bakeries

#31

Post by GeorgettePkg »

Alex3917 wrote: post #23
gatsby wrote: post #4

This is a great idea. A huge part of the success over the last 10 or 15 years in the cafe and coffee industry has been about branding and design. Starbucks knows this: bright green straws, red holiday cups, etc. You can see a Starbucks cup from 100 feet away. Why should Starbucks, Blue Bottle, Coffee Bean, and Dunkin all capitalize on this, while a lot of the mom n pop shops that make the best coffee are serving thei…

> A huge part of the success over the last 10 or 15 years in the cafe and coffee industry has been about branding and design. Most mom n pop coffee shops aren't Lauduree though. If you have a great story then good packaging can help sell that story, but if you don't have a story then it's at best just waste of money. Or worse, it undermines the built-in story that comes with the Costco cups. I actually think this sta…

I think you're talking about the value of branding as a whole, more than necessarily our role within that world... of course not everybody excels equally in that. One of the reasons why some companies always stay tiny, or just shut down, and others grow and acquire others is that they're better or worse at branding. We're keen to help those who understand the power of branding, and want to build their business using it (especially since social media is sooo huge for food businesses right now), but lack the tools. Packaging is just an incredibly direct marketing spend for small businesses, say compared to ads.. you're helping your clients market for you, in a fun way too. :)

Re: Georgette Packaging (YC W16) Makes Custom Branded Boxes and Cups for Bakeries

#33

Post by rezistik »

GeorgettePkg wrote: post #16
bunkat wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally agree. This is aimed at small runs, but for a small run of a standard box it was $2.24 per 6 cupcake box (much more for one with an actual design). What small shop can afford $2.24 a box? Quick look online found plenty of nice ones for $0.20 a piece that you could put a sticker on with your logo. This is what a lot of smaller places do in Seattle and it seems to work just fine.

Yes, a lot of small businesses use generic boxes and a sticker. When I owned my bakery, I did the same. That's not to say that this solution is ideal; most of the generic boxes are flimsy, tedious to assemble, and give your customers the idea that your product is ... humdrum, not something you'd pay much for. If you're working super hard to bake something amazing, your packaging should complement and introduce your p…

My experience growing up was that the flashier the box was the cheaper the cake tasted. The best cakes came from the bakeries that invested 100% into their products. I loved getting really great products in terrible packages, it had a certain feeling to it.

That being said, I love branding and really hip bakeries and coffee shops with awesome branding will always woo me too.

Re: Georgette Packaging (YC W16) Makes Custom Branded Boxes and Cups for Bakeries

#35

Post by GeorgettePkg »

sbuttgereit wrote: post #28
gatsby wrote: post #4

This is a great idea. A huge part of the success over the last 10 or 15 years in the cafe and coffee industry has been about branding and design. Starbucks knows this: bright green straws, red holiday cups, etc. You can see a Starbucks cup from 100 feet away. Why should Starbucks, Blue Bottle, Coffee Bean, and Dunkin all capitalize on this, while a lot of the mom n pop shops that make the best coffee are serving thei…

I agree with you, but remember that the accoutrements of branding are only a part of the picture. The products you provide (diversity, quality, uniqueness), the service you provide, the ambiance of the store/location/website, (yes) price, and as others have suggested, the story behind the store all weave together to form this thing we call brand. The more all of these elements can come together and compliment and rei…

Totally agree! :D We love generating design ideas, packaging inspiration, and sharing business tips for small companies, since in many ways we're a hub in the most splendid community of creative food businesses... We have a lot of knowledge stored up. :) We're definitely going to be launching a blog really soon, we're excited.

Honestly, the other side of our business that I think will be growing in importance and prominence is the ease we bring to manufacturers, by supplying them with extremely easy-to-process orders. Marketing, sales, and estimation can be a struggle for manufacturers, and our goal is to let them excel at manufacturing, while we help with the business side.

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. :)

Re: Georgette Packaging (YC W16) Makes Custom Branded Boxes and Cups for Bakeries

#37

Post by nitrogen »

GeorgettePkg wrote: post #17
bunkat wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally agree. This is aimed at small runs, but for a small run of a standard box it was $2.24 per 6 cupcake box (much more for one with an actual design). What small shop can afford $2.24 a box? Quick look online found plenty of nice ones for $0.20 a piece that you could put a sticker on with your logo. This is what a lot of smaller places do in Seattle and it seems to work just fine.

Apologies for the big block of text, I clearly haven't figure out how to make paragraphs on here. :p [Returns to box-making].

You can press enter twice (so there's a blank line) to make paragraphs.

Re: Georgette Packaging (YC W16) Makes Custom Branded Boxes and Cups for Bakeries

#39

Post by snsn2828 »

GeorgettePkg wrote: post #13
gatsby wrote: post #4

This is a great idea. A huge part of the success over the last 10 or 15 years in the cafe and coffee industry has been about branding and design. Starbucks knows this: bright green straws, red holiday cups, etc. You can see a Starbucks cup from 100 feet away. Why should Starbucks, Blue Bottle, Coffee Bean, and Dunkin all capitalize on this, while a lot of the mom n pop shops that make the best coffee are serving thei…

Agreed! This is why we exist.. we want the small businesses of the world to have the same fighting chance to be known, recognized, grow sales, and create jobs locally.

I'd be interested to see the number of mom and pop shops that don't want custom simply b/c they lose the mom and pop, neighborhood type feel.

A lot of folks these days stay away from logos on clothing, and would likely prefer their coffee unbranded.

However since you got into YC, it's likely youve shown that a signficant number of small shops would want this, and that a decent business can be built. Good luck!

Re: Georgette Packaging (YC W16) Makes Custom Branded Boxes and Cups for Bakeries

#40

Post by usrusr »

GeorgettePkg wrote: post #14
dublinben wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Inversely, why should you have to pay extra to get your great craft brewed coffee in a fancy paper cup? Branding like this is much less important for local businesses than national franchises/chains.

I think it depends on the goals you have for your business - there's a huge gap between little local spots that don't invest in being memorable, and major chains that everybody knows. Thoughtful branding is a major part of the bridge between the two. We work with a lot of ambitious, but small businesses that are keen to grow, be valued and loved by their communities, and be known for specific areas of expertise. Shar…

It's good that you are seeing your market not in one of a kind shops but in small chains (e.g. n=1 but growing). The excessive branding of large chains is only a disadvantage for smaller chains (but not for one-of-a-kind shops) because location is such a strong part of memorability. Branding is just a hack to transfer a small fraction of that memorability across locations, most obviously exemplified in how Duane Reade got their brand name.
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