How to Choose the Right Coffee Bags

You’ve nailed your roast. You’ve dialed in your flavor. Now your coffee packaging needs to deliver that same level of care.

Your packaging is the first thing customers see—on a shelf or online—and it impacts:

Freshness & Shelf Life

The right packaging materials and features like degassing valves protect against oxygen, light, and moisture.

Brand Identity

Great packaging design connects your audience to your coffee roaster story. In situations where customers can't taste your coffee, packaging is often the primary factor in their purchase decision.

Customer Experience

Easy resealing, sustainable materials, and thoughtful design build loyalty and trust. When packaging feels cheap or fails to perform customers may wrongly assume your coffee is also low quality.

Before getting into styles and materials, think about these four essentials when choosing coffee packaging for retail or e-commerce:

Material: Decide what level of protection your beans need to stay fresh until they get brewed, and what your sustainability priority is (e.g., compostable, recyclable, reusable). Not sure which material to pick? Head to our Material Guide for a thorough overview, or order one of our sample packs.

Design: Does it reflect your brand’s personality and stand out on the shelf?

Functionality: How easy is it to open, reseal, and store?

Channel: Is your packaging built for store shelves or shipping boxes?

When these work together, your coffee bean packaging will keep your product fresh and build customer trust. We’ll call that a win-win.

Each coffee bag style brings a different mix of function and personality. Here’s how to choose what fits your brand best.

Modern and flexible, stand up pouches are perfect for e-commerce, small-batch roasters, seasonal offerings, and sample sizes. Available in the most variety of sizes (11), they’re lightweight, seal tight, and easy to ship—ideal for brands that want clean, minimal coffee packaging design.

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Polished and professional, flat bottom bags stand tall on shelves and project a premium vibe. Add zippers or a degassing valve for next-level coffee freshness.

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The classic choice for coffee roasters. Gusset bags have a familiar, traditional look and offer great reliability and affordability.

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Compact, printable and perfect for introducing new blends, flat pouches are great for samples and other single-serve purposes. Flat pouches are ideal for retail peg-hook displays and can be made with euro, sombrero, or round hang holes.

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Tin cans are making a comeback—not as a replacement for bags, but as a stylish, premium addition. The kind of cool many coffee customers will pay extra for.

Great for gifting occasions, premium small-batch roasts, and more. Some roasters even encourage reuse, turning cans into refillable containers for loyal customers by utilizing our unique peel and stick closures. (OK, you caught us, this one isn't a bag. Go ahead and have that extra cup of coffee. You've earned it.)

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It’s the little details that make your coffee bean packaging shine.

Zip in Coffee Freshness

A zipper creates an airtight seal to completely lock in freshness, ensuring your coffee stays at its best after opening.

Close Your Bag with a Tin Tie

A classic closure that’s more aesthetic than airtight. To use it effectively, simply fold the top ½” of the coffee bag over the tin tie, fold over again, and wrap the ends around the bag to hold it in place.

The Must-Have Degassing Valve

An essential for specialty coffee. A one-way degassing valve allows carbon dioxide to escape and prevents oxygen from entering. Freshness guaranteed!

Add an Easy-Open Tear Notch

Adding a tear notch enables your customers to easily tear the pouch open. It’s an accessibility feature that allows quick access to your product.

Stand Out with Hang Holes

Hang holes give retailers flexible display options, letting your bags hang front and center instead of sitting on a crowded shelf.

If sustainability is important to you, Roastar offers standard, recyclable, and compostable material options. The best fit for your coffee packaging depends on your region and your customers.

Compostable coffee packaging requires industrial facilities to break down correctly. If those aren’t accessible, compostables can release methane in landfills. That’s why store-drop-off recyclable packaging is often the most practical choice. It’s affordable, widely accepted, and easy to explain to customers.

We offer a free collection box for your store drop-off recyclable bags. Simply set it in your café and ship it back to us once it’s full. Contact us to find out more! You can also download free disposal logos to add to your Roastar packaging so your customers know how to dispose of it once finished.

Your coffee packaging should grow with your brand. Here’s how to know when to level up.

Just Starting Out?

Use blank or stock bags with custom labels to keep things cost-effective and flexible. Start simple. As you grow into your branding, your packaging will grow with you.

Ready to Stand Out?

Fully custom-printed bags help your brand compete in the coffee packaging retail space and create a cohesive, professional look.

With Roastar’s low minimums, artwork flexibility (multiple prints across a single MOQ!), world-class customer service, and coffee expertise, premium custom packaging has never been easier! Get started with your brand’s perfect coffee packaging fit today.