announcing the winners of the 2026 coffee design awards
The 2026 Coffee Design Awards recognize remarkable creativity and innovation across coffee branding, packaging, and environments. These awards—which are hosted at World of Coffee trade shows annually—celebrate the vision, skill, and storytelling that define the coffee experience. Thank you to all who submitted their work to the 2026 awards.
Branding: Recognizes the brands, identities, and visual environments that companies in coffee use to stand out.
Packaging: Celebrates innovative coffee packaging designs that go beyond traditional brand standards.
Spaces: Honors thoughtfully designed places for brewing, teaching, and serving coffee.
WINNER: RIKKA FIKA LLC
Award Category: Packaging
Location: San Diego, California, USA
Designers: Scott Chen + Michelle Jow
Company Website: rikkafika.com
About the Project:
This packaging was conceived with sustainability as the starting point. The structure was designed around a corner-stapled construction, allowing the joining method to inform the geometry, proportions, and overall visual presentation. Visible staples led us to explore references beyond conventional coffee packaging, drawing inspiration from jewelry and stationery objects that feel tactile, intentional, and enduring. The form was approached as a small treasure chest, inviting anticipation and turning the act of opening into part of the coffee ritual.
WINNER: SLOW BY SLOW COFFEE
Award Category: Spaces
Location: Boise, Idaho, USA
Designers: Eric Corbett and Gabe Watkins
Company Website: slowbyslow.com
About the Project:
Slow by Slow Coffee in Boise, Idaho was redesigned around a simple idea: curiosity should be rewarded. As a showcase for some of the world’s best coffee roasters, curiosity is central to our company and something we hope to pass along to every guest. Coffee preparation sits at the center of the experience. A walnut burl brew bar shaped from the café’s elongated “O” logo anchors the room, allowing guests to watch coffee being weighed, ground, and brewed in full view. Tools are integrated directly into the bar so the craft stays visible without visual clutter.
WINNER: MONOGRAM COFFEE
Award Category: Branding
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Designers: ReThink
Company Website: monogramcoffee.com
About the Project:
Monogram Coffee’s rebrand was designed to make the world of specialty coffee more intuitive, expressive, and welcoming. Coffee flavour can be complex and often difficult for new drinkers to navigate, so the goal of the design was to translate that complexity into something visual, emotional, and easy to understand. At the centre of the system is the Flavour Mood framework, which organizes coffees into approachable sensory categories such as Chocolatey Comforts, Fruity Classics, Superfruity Adventures, Funky Infusions, and Dreamy Low + No Cafs. Instead of relying only on technical origin information, the design communicates flavour through colour and visual personality. This allows customers to discover coffees based on how they like their coffee to taste.
