Ground coffee style packaging for instant coffee has been a great innovation, but perhaps one borne as much out of opportunism and good fortune as concern for the environment. After all the same brands still make individually packaged one-shot coffee capsules.
The foil bag cleverly implies real-coffee quality and freshness, whist dramatically reducing the weight and volume of the pack, saving a heap of money in the process. So when Kenco introduced the format they played heavily on the environmental benefits of their packaging in their advertising. As a result they completely shook up the instant coffee sector, to the extent that most instant coffees now have a resealable refill option. So where are all the other bag refills? The ones for laundry detergents, hair products, deodorants, washing-up liquids and just about any trigger spray. Tackled in the right way there is huge potential to make real inroads into many different sectors. Kenco have shown that with a little explanation consumers will readily respond to an environmental message, even if that means some slight inconvenience.