Welcome to the winners announcement for the First Annual Sprudge Design Awards!

Semi-finalists and finalist voting open voting took place through the months of October and November 2023. Some 100,000 votes were cast in total across all categories throughout the voting process, an enormous outpouring of interest and support for the medium of coffee design. We’re thrilled by the response and enthusiasm for this year’s inaugural event, and look forward to presenting the Sprudge Design Awards annually each fall in the years to come.

Coffee is a canvas for art! Art and coffee are profoundly intertwined! International specialty coffee culture is like an interactive art gallery! Art and coffee matter. Coffee design has the profound ability to move and inspire us. It is a privilege to platform these works and argue for their validity as real, meaningful art in modern life.

Congratulations to all of the nominees, finalists, and winners at the 2023 Sprudge Design Awards! See a complete list of winners and explore their submitted portfolio work below. Thank you.

2023 Sprudge Design Awards Winners

Daydrink
Outstanding Packaging, Whole Bean / Loose Leaf

Ritual Coffee Roasters
Outstanding Packaging, Ready To Drink

Solberg & Hansen
Outstanding Packaging, Seasonal or Limited Edition

Verve Coffee Roasters
Outstanding E-Commerce / Web Site

La Marzocco at World of Coffee Milan
Outstanding Design Achievement โ€” Event Exhibition

PERC Coffee Roasters
Outstanding Design Achievement โ€” Goods and Garments

Cat & Cloud
Outstanding Design Achievement โ€” Print Materials

Mr. Espresso
Outstanding Design Achievement โ€” Vessels

Third Wave Water
Outstanding Design Achievement โ€” Commercial Product

Elizabeth Chai
Outstanding Designer

Onyx Coffee Lab
Outstanding In-House Design Team

Equator Coffees
Outstanding Design Collaboration

Night Swim Coffee
Outstanding Social Media

Kahawa 1893
Design in Support of a Social Impact Campaign

Daydrink

Winner for Outstanding Packaging โ€“ Whole Bean / Loose Leaf

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The jars are heavily inspired by the free spirited mentality of the โ€™60s and โ€™70s. Our intention was to create a fun, nostalgic, and light aesthetic with an infusion of minimalist sensibilities. We use our logomark to build the repeating pattern on the front of the packaging and use a varying color palette inspired tonally by the โ€™70s, but also the by flavor of amazing coffee in the jar. Most importantly we wanted to create something sustainable that people felt like they could connect with on a deeper level and functionally use after the coffee is gone.

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Visit the official Daydrink website.

Ritual Coffee Roasters

Winner for Outstanding Packaging โ€“ Ready To Drink

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Not just for summertime, itโ€™s for anytime.

Cold brew aficionados and busy people whoโ€™ve got sh*t to do can now recharge on-the-go with an artful can of Ritualโ€™s refreshing single-origin black coffees or a smooth oat milk latte. And we donโ€™t sacrifice quality for convenience โ€“ each batch is brewed with one of our very favorite coffees, sourced from coffee farmers we personally know around the world. We flash-brew our coffee using hot water to extract the full complexity of flavor and then chill it down immediately to lock in the nuances and beautiful aromatics. We worked with Aimee Kilmer at Good Stuff Partners and local artist Galine Tumasova to design the beautiful artwork on the cans. The artwork on each can celebrates a San Francisco neighborhood beloved to Ritual. Each features elements that are recognizable to anyone who has visited that neighborhood, and other pieces are delightful little โ€œEaster eggsโ€ that you really have to know the neighborhood well to identify.

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URL: https://ritualcoffee.com/serve/canned-coffee/

Visit the official Ritual Coffee Roasters website.

Solberg & Hansen

Winner for Outstanding Packaging โ€” Seasonal or Limited Edition Design

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Solberg & Hansen โ€“ Norways oldest and largest speciality coffee Roaster.

Since 1879 we have travelled the world in search of the best coffees. Every coffee bean tells its own story. About the families who cultivate them, the geography and contry where they originate, how they are hand-picked and dried, and how they are processed, roasted and brewed by passionate professionals who are striving for the best quality and taste. But how do we communicate this to Norwegians who may never have bought or tastet speciality coffee before?

The Marketing team has created a uniqe range of seasonal coffees to match Norways distinct seasons and aim to make the high quality coffees available for everyone in Norway to taste and learn. The design reflects Norway, from north to south, from west to east. From cold winter mornings to warm summer nights. Result: We reach a much wider target group with these recognizable coffee bags and in that way introduce specialty coffees to them who maybe never would consider buying. Every season launched, sales increase considerably and enable us to continue our work with farmers across the world and search for the best coffees.

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URL: https://www.sh.no

Visit the official Solberg & Hansen website.

Verve Coffee Roasters

Winner for Outstanding E-Commerce / Web Site

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In 2022, Verve relaunched its website to be more informative, engaging and personalized for customers, resulting in an effortless purchasing experience. The objective was to bring online the same infectious spirit and great energy that customers have when they enter a Verve cafe.

Superior design, user experience, new features and intuitive functionality come together to present an accessible coffee-buying experience to grow loyal customers and convert new ones. The content-rich site is also easy to navigate to product detail pages which showcase pertinent information with beautiful visual designs. Customers purchasing online can also find their perfect coffee match with the brandโ€™s coffee quiz, and accurately determine how much coffee to purchase with the help of Verveโ€™s proprietary Coffee Calculator that in one step helps customers calculate the quantity and frequency of their coffee delivery based on their needs and preferences.

Other new site features include improved coffee subscription presentation with side by side offerings making it even easier for users to understand the process and a robust filtering tool allowing customers to filter by Roast, Type, Region and Method. In addition to making product badges for Best Sellers, New Arrivals, Web Exclusives, etc. more prominent on the site, Verve also added a recipe carousel showcasing recipes and measurements of classic and seasonal drinks sold at the cafes.

Overall, the improved Verve website has resulted in longer user sessions up by +183%, higher consumer engagement with +27% more pages per session viewed, increase in conversion rate (+9%) and AOV (+8%).

Verve has received numerous accolades for the siteโ€™s unique design and exceptional UI on Forbes, AIVA and the Webby Awards.

URL: https://vervecoffee.com

Visit the official Verve Coffee Roasters website.

La Marzocco at World of Coffee Milan

Winner for Outstanding Design Achievement โ€” Event Exhibitionย 

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WOC Milan 2022: La Marzocco brought Accademia del caffe espresso to World of Coffee Milan 2022 in the form of a 165 square meter booth. In the heart of this space was a real greenhouse with live coffee plants, alongside the same banana plants used to provide them shade in coffee agriculture. 2600kg of soil was carted in and unloaded by hand in order to share this unique environment, while providing a cozy space where people could feel at ease and experience a true connection to the coffee plant and the seed to cup journey.

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The booth was structured in different areas:

  • True Artisan Cafรฉ: featuring 35 roasters from all over the world
  • Linea Classic S exhibit: presentation of our new redesign workhorse
  • Leva Bar: an experience in classic Italian coffee
  • Home Area: a space designed to allow people to experience bringing the cafรฉ home
  • Coffee area: a space to experience the journey of coffee, from the soil it is grown in to the varying levels it can be roasted
  • Gran Bar with coffee tables for meetings and conversations
  • Modbar area: an area to experience the La Marzocco Modbar system
  • IoT: an area to showcase the connection to our commercial machines with the La Marzocco Pro app
  • Officine Fratelli Bambi: an exhibit highlighting the craftsmanship of Officine Fratelli Bambi
  • Merchandising: a popup store featuring uniquely branded merchandise, from custom cups to lion plush toy and silver portafilter necklace.

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Visit the official La Marzocco website.

PERC Coffee Roasters

Winner for Outstanding Design Achievement โ€” Goods and Garments

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All the way back in 2010, our first batch of coffee was roasted under the name โ€œPantherโ€™s Eye Roasting Companyโ€. We quickly realized we needed a shorter name with a nice ring to it, thus we became โ€œPERCโ€! Now the panther serves as both a tribute to the original name and as our mascot for all things WILD! Itโ€™s shown here on this heather coal-colored shirt in neon-esque fashion. The Panther also features a โ€œBean-Boltโ€ for an eye and looong and loopy tongue just below the PERC logo. The color palette chosen for this design is a representation of all the vibe offerings: Blue for Mild, Yellow for Balanced, and Pink for Wild.

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Visit the official PERC Coffee Roasters website.

Cat & Cloud

Winner for Outstanding Design Achievement โ€” Print Materials

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At Cat & Cloud we have a mission to inspire connection, by creating memorable experiences. This is something we seek to do with our guests every day, however it is a mission that applies internally as well. We seek to create a company where our team members or inspired to grow and learn new things, ultimately leaving them in a better place.

This is why we take pride in the physical things we create. Things like our company handbook, and our new training tool, the Cat & Cloud Passport. Both of these beautifully outline all the things a Team Member needs to know to get started and grow at Cat & Cloud. The intention behind them is for the experience to be one that is simple, and easy to understand. While also feeling beautiful and fun.

This is also the intention behind the other tools we create. Be it a sell sheet for our wholesale department, or a shelf talker in our cafes. These should all be simple items that inform the people reading them with just what they need to know. We are honored when anyone gives us some of their time, so we want to respect that opportunity, while also having some fun alone the way.

One of the values we have at Cat & Cloud is artistry, where we believe all the work we do has the chance to be a piece of art, be it pouring a latte, plating food, or even just a humble handbook.

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Visit the official Cat & Cloud website.

Mr. Espresso

Winner for Outstanding Design Achievement โ€” Vessels

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Prior to the May opening, ceramic artist Nadia Elgan designed and created one-of-a-kind pieces for The Caffรจ by Mr. Espresso, mirroring the ethos of The Caffรจ โ€” honoring Italian old-world coffee tradition in a decidedly contemporary space with a sleek Bay Area look. The artist used locally sourced clay with sand from California beaches to truly highlight the beauty of the landscape in each vessel.

  • The interior of each vessel features an egg-shaped bottom for polished and easy pouring, while the base of the pieces are made thicker to keep the coffee warm until the last sip.
  • The juicy orange glaze gives a perfect pop of color that ties it all together.
  • The artist designed and created 5 cups, a saucer and a pastry plate. Cups sizes are: 2-oz, 3-oz, 5-oz, 8-oz, and 12-oz.
  • The 2-oz, 5-oz and 8-oz cups were fully glazed, designed with a handle and multi-use saucer.
  • The 3-oz and 12-oz cups were designed without a handle and left unglazed on the exterior.
  • The end result for use in The Caffรจ, as well as for individual purchase, is a line of vessels, that blend both function and design โ€” marrying Italian traditional aesthetics with a kiss of California flare.

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URL: https://www.thecaffeoak.com

Visit the official Mr. Espresso website.

Third Wave Water

Winner for Outstanding Design Achievement โ€” Commercial Product

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Waves within waves. These new designs bring Third Wave Water to life with rich color and contrast while maintaining our core colors. Please welcome the new Light, Medium and Dark Roast water profile boxes created by our designer Seth Gillespie.

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Visit the official Third Wave Water website.

Elizabeth Chai

Winner for Outstanding Designer

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Elizabeth (Liz) Chai built her Graphic Design career while dwelling in coffeeshops as a consumer. While attending weekly Counter Culture Coffee cuppings and ProDev classes, her enthusiasm for coffee grew after discovering โ€œwhat goes into each cupโ€ โ€“ learning about coffee varieties, sustainability, and the importance of supporting coffee producers. After a Design Director stint with Octane Coffee in Atlanta, Liz decided to commit her skills of graphic design, branding, illustration, and photography exclusively to working within the Specialty Coffee industry, to make her contribution to the industry in a positive way. This commitment resulted in a relocation to Portland and cultivating โ€œcoffee + designโ€ opportunities through event planning, community building, coffee competition, and freelance design. 2023 projects included multiple sustainably built SCA trade show booths for La Marzocco, Event Branding for MiiR, Package Design for KafieX, Illustration for Created Co, and Branding and Identity work for Wallflower Coffee Co. Lizโ€™s design clientele includes MiiR, Black Rabbit, Slayer, Swiss Water Decaf, Juniorโ€™s Roasted Coffee, La Marzocco, Portland Coffee Social Club, and more.

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Visit the official Elizabeth (Liz) Chaiย website.

Onyx Coffee Lab

Winner for Outstanding In-House Design Team

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The Onyx In-House Design Team is comprised of a small, tight-knit team of creatives who design everything Onyx puts out into the world, including both physical and digital projects. Product packaging, Artist Collaboration artwork, merchandise design, and digital design for e-commerce and marketing are just a few of the categories of design that our team operates in every day. In the last year, weโ€™ve partnered with dozens of artists, brands, and businesses to design products and supporting marketing visuals that honor the same spirit of excellence we bring to our coffee and cafe programs.

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Visit the official Onyx Coffee Lab website.

Equator Coffees

Winner for Outstanding Design Collaboration

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This past spring, we joined forces with queer illustrator and muralist Rymie (Lauren Rymer, she/her, @rymie) to bring to life our vision for the Super Bloom campaign. Running from April 3 to July 2, 2023, spanning Earth Month through Pride Month, our 2023 Super Bloom collection emerged as a profound design collaboration that skillfully interwove sustainability, diversity, and social responsibility into a delightful blend of art and coffee.

At the heart of this limited-edition collection was a custom 12oz. coffee bag designed for our spring seasonal coffee, Super Bloom Blend. The design of this limited-edition bag celebrates the origin of the hero coffee within (Nicaragua), our home state (California), and our commitment to diversity and inclusivity. In partnership with Cooperativa de Servicios Mรบltiples Sacaclรญ in Nicaragua, we introduced the first-ever harvest of Regenerative Organic Certifiedโ„ข (ROCโ„ข) coffee, forming the core of this yearโ€™s Super Bloom Blend. Complementing this hero coffee, we sourced sustainable beans from Thailand and Java, to create a celebratory and diverse profile with flavors of Confetti Cake, Cherry Blossom, and Starfruit. Drawing inspiration from the blendโ€™s namesakeโ€”Super Bloomโ€”a rare botanical phenomenon that occurs when dormant wildflower seeds germinate in unison, bringing the desert landscape to life in a riot of vibrant color, the design and campaign concept embodied the notion that when we bloom together, we have the power to transform entire landscapes.

Rymieโ€™s artistic journey began in Brooklyn, NY, but it has since taken her to the breathtaking landscapes of the Bay Area. Her work is a fusion of her connection to nature, modern mysticism, and her unwavering love for coffee. What sets Rymie apart is her deep curiosity about how nature can teach us to be more humaneโ€”a question that beautifully aligns with the Super Bloom Blend project.

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Rymieโ€™s artistry isnโ€™t confined to a studio; itโ€™s woven into her life as she explores forests and embarks on adventures with her faithful companion, Otis. Her affinity for wild, open spaces resonates profoundly with our commitment to sustainability and our belief that coffee can be a transformative force, much like the Super Bloom transforms arid deserts.

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The result of our collaboration with Rymie is a visually stunning design that captures the essence of Super Bloom. The coffee bagโ€™s front features our brand logomark, symbolizing grace, strength, and rarity, and is encircled by native flora from California and Nicaraguaโ€”an ode to the coffeeโ€™s origin and our Marin County roastery. On one side, a queer interracial couple raises their coffee-filled tumblers in a toast, while on the other, a chemex adorned with flowers stands tall, proudly bearing the phrase โ€œProud Since 1995โ€ to celebrate our commitment to LGBTQ+ representation. The bagโ€™s reverse depicts a woman hiking amidst Pride Poppies, a tribute to LGBTQ+ pride inspired by our founders, while a parrot soars overhead as a nod to Nicaragua.

5% of sales from the Super Bloom Blend and merchandise were directed towards supporting our producer partner, Cooperativa de Servicios Mรบltiples Sacaclรญ, in Nicaragua. This contribution helped fund the purchase of equipment for their newly-built coffee quality control labโ€”a need identified by cooperative members. The collection also included a custom 16oz. Fellow Carter Tumbler and an enamel pin, both part of our 5% giveback program, further enhancing our capacity to make a meaningful donation. Coupled with our Cup For A Cause program, which involved donating $1 for every pour over sold in our cafes during the campaignโ€™s launch month in April, we collectively raised $4,291.98 for the cooperative. This collaborative effort reinforces our commitment to supporting our partners and driving tangible change in their sustainability and social equity initiatives.

Equator Coffeesโ€™ Super Bloom collaboration with Rymie isnโ€™t just about coffee; itโ€™s a masterpiece of design, diversity, and impact. It celebrates the possibilities when two creative forces merge, using their talents to tell compelling stories and make a differenceโ€”one cup at a time.

Additional Notes: Equator Coffees x Rymie collaboration post on Instagram
Rymie visit to EQ Roastery on Instagram

Visit the official Equator Coffees website.

Night Swim Coffee

Winner for Outstanding Social Media

The aim of Night Swim Coffee is to connect people to where their coffee comes from. In tandem, we also operate 13 cafes/retail spaces. Our social media is coffee-focused, but we reserve a portion of our feed for cafe related content as well. We like to focus on good design, good photography, and educational content, with the intent on telling the stories of the coffees that we source, roast, and serve. We also collaborate with local artist, content creators, and coffee folks to create meaningful imagery and videos.

Visit the Night Swim Coffee Instagram page.
Visit the official Night Swim Coffee website.

Kahawa 1893

Winner for Design in Support of a Social Impact Campaign

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Our coffee bags include a QR code on the bag where customers can tip farmers. Also, our bag design are inspired by the landscape of the African Safari to celebrate the origins of coffee in Africa and Kahawa 1893 as the first African/Black and woman-owned brand to be nationally distributed in the USA.

Visit the Kahawa 1893 official website here.

View all the finalists and semi-finalist at the official Sprudge Design Awards website.

The Sprudge Design Awards will return in 2024!