Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Bethnal Green high street is Ozone, a coffee shop with a distinct difference. A calm, minimalist oasis might at first seem at odds with the trendy, lively reputation of East London. But it’s a welcome difference, one that has established Ozone as one of the area’s most frequented coffee shops and eateries in the area. Their emphasis on sustainability, approachability and of course, excellent coffee has earned them a glowing reputation amongst locals and visitors alike. As a result, queues often stretch out the door, but on a Wednesday afternoon I’m able to find a seat easily and become immersed in the gentle buzz of entrepreneurial creativity and joyful laughter between friends.
"Labels help to convey our approachability as part of our brand identity"
I’m here to meet Sarushka Reddy, the Group Marketing and Digital Manager for Ozone in the UK. Taking time out of her busy schedule to talk all things labels and branding, Sarushka tells me how their four London-based coffee shops form only a small part of their successful twenty-six year old business. One of their primary focuses is on their wholesale channel where they supply their sustainably sourced beans to hundreds of customers across the country. “We had a big re-brand in April of this year which impacted our packaging massively. Previously our coffee packaging focused on the coffee variety and farms, with less attention paid on the flavour of the coffee itself. Now, we help customers to easily pick our flavour notes thanks to our colour coded packaging and descriptive flavour notes”.
When asked why that shift was important, she told that it all comes back to one word: approachability. “It can be hard to tap into the world of coffee when you’re not an expert, so we want to be a brand that is approachable no matter how much or little you know about coffee. We want to embody hosting- making people feel welcomed and like they can keep learning and asking questions about the flavour and make-up of the coffee beans”. Labels are imperative to conveying this message; in making their brand recognisable and customer-friendly.
Over the past 4 years there has been a shift in how they print and source labels for Ozone’s packaging. Previously, all labels were printed externally, yet they responded to business needs and decided to move printing in house at their roastery in Stafford. “This has allowed us to have control of when labels are printed and how quickly we can turn them around. Another huge benefit of printing our own labels is that we can create custom labels for companies that helps to develop local business relationships. For example there is a running event held in East London each year, and we’re in talks of supplying personalised coffee for finishers that will add an extra special touch”. Being able to add variable data onto labels has allowed Ozone to enter into a new business market, one that feeds into their focus on approachability and offering a friendly, individual touch.
Like Soabar, Ozone have placed a large emphasis on sustainable business practices from the very beginning. Twenty six years ago their founders went to El Salvador in the search of coffee producers that they could use to supply their New Zealand based coffee shops with high quality beans. The non-negotiable? That farmers used were paid fairly for their work. “This is still at the heart of how we operate now”, Sarushka tells me. “We develop sustainable relationships with our producers that stand the test of time, because they are premised on fairness and care. Sustainability also now extends to our kitchens and our packaging- our chefs re-purpose food so kitchens operate at 2% waste and all four coffee bags are compostable.” This rings true with Soabar’s recent focus on attaining our FSC accreditation that identifies us as complying with regulations that work to achieve sustainable forestry practices, including fair wages and zero deforestation.
At Soabar we love partnering with companies like Ozone, who work hard to stay true to their roots and provide customers with an exceptional end product that is of the highest quality. Ozone’s coffee is some of the best in the business, so it’s no surprise that their mission to revolutionise the way that coffee is valued, grown, produced and enjoyed is being achieved, and then some. There’s no denying that labels and packaging are an integral part of their success, in addition to the new found autonomy and creativity they have gained from being able to produce this themselves.
To find out more about how Soabar can help your business to thrive, contact us now.