PRODUCTS

COFFEE PODS

Producing private label Coffee Pods

For those who wish to sell coffee pods with their own brand, Coind produces private label pods in 44 mm format, where the distributor can personalise both the blend and its packaging, and so propose a product with a unique taste, shape and aroma.

Currently Coind produces coffee pods with its Meseta and Attibassi proprietary brands.

The most common and widespread pod format is the ESE 44 mm pod, which Coind always uses for third party contexts. ESE is an acronym that stands for Easy Serving Espresso: it expresses an international industrial standard which has brought about the simplification of espresso coffee systems through the adoption of “servings“, i.e. pre-packaged pods containing seven grams of ground coffee.

The ESE is an open system and is currently the only one used in the paper-covered coffee pod espresso sector: ESE pods are compatible with almost all the espresso coffee machine brands and models that process ESE pods.

This leaves a great freedom of choice and also makes it possible to simultaneously use pods and machines from two different brands.

Coind’s ESE coffee pods are made with all the quality of Coind’s branded ground coffee: freshness and aroma in coffee pods for each and every cup of espresso.

The pods are produced in the Castel Maggiore plant, where freshly picked green coffee beans arrive from all over the world, are subjected to meticulous checks and then roasted, ground and portioned: 7 grammes of coffee for every pod.

The raw materials employed always respect the highest quality standards, to ensure the excellence of every single cup of espresso.

The eco-sustainability of coffee pods is an especially attractive aspect: being biodegradable and compostable, they can be disposed of directly in organic wet waste containers. This makes them particularly appealing in a market increasingly dominated by the demand for products with a low environmental impact .

Coffee pods: the importance of grinding

The coffee pods that Coind produces, whether as a private label or for its own brands, derive from a process that involves various checking phases: in the case of coffee pod production, controls are especially strict concerning the process of grinding the coffee beans.

In the grinding phase – in order to satisfy the customer’s requirements and to comply with optimal quality standards – a high-tech laser granulometer is used: this makes it possible to obtain precisely the right degree of fineness, which in turn produces the perfect espresso.

The degree of fine grinding is so crucial that it can affect the taste of the coffee it produces. Grinding the coffee beans too finely can mean that a lot more water is needed to pass through a denser mass: this can then result in an excessive contact between boiling water and ground coffee, with the risk of scalding the coffee and creating a sour taste in the cup. If the grinding is not fine enough, however, not enough coffee will be released from the grains to extract their full flavour… leaving an unsatisfyingly diluted taste.

Coind coffee pods: production and packaging

Coind’s ESE pods are individually filled with coffee in a protective atmosphere and then hermetically sealed: this preserves them perfectly over time and means they are always ready at any moment to unfold the aroma and taste of the finest espresso.

These pods can be personalised in various ways for private label distributors: the client can select the type of blend to be included in the single portion pod, and also choose types of coffee derived from organic cultivation and fair trade practices.

In terms of packaging, distributors can personalise the sachet which wraps the pods and choose between selling the pods in small cartons or cardboard boxes holding up to 150 pods.

There are four different blends in ESE pods under the Caffè Meseta brand:

• “Classico“, which in name and in fact evokes the experiences of bar-served expresso. A blend in which the qualities of Arabica and Robusta beans are expertly mixed to achieve a rich and perfectly balanced coffee.
• “Intense” is a pod blend conceived for those who love strong coffee with an uncompromising taste: the predominance of African Robusta beans provides an intense flavour and creamy texture, typical of traditional Neapolitan-style coffee.
• “Decaffeinated” is designed for those who need (or prefer) to avoid caffeine, but still enjoy the taste of a good espresso, especially after meals.
• Finally, “Forte” is a “strong” espresso, as the name of the blend suggests, decisive and enveloping, thanks to the perfect combination of selected Robusta and Arabica beans.

Attibassi also produces a proprietary line of coffee pods, based on the historic blend Miscela 1918: a blend with an intense and full-bodied aroma, the result of a perfect balance between 70% Arabica beans of the best quality and 30% Robusta varieties.

Meseta and Attibassi pods are also marketed on the Vending and Horeca channel.

Pods and Capsules: taste preferences

In some cases, Pods are preferred to Capsules, for various reasons, e.g. consistency, affordability or eco-sustainability.
These are often issues connected to particular personal tastes or habits. When comparing coffee pods with capsules, people often refer to “the path” followed by the flow of the almost boiling water (90°C ) through pods or capsules to make coffee: given the characteristics of the pods and their structure featuring its thin paper wrapping, many people feel they produce a coffee with a more homogeneous and creamy taste.

Many others feel an opposite sensation: that the capsules bring to life a more full-bodied and compact espresso. This obviously depends also on the blend packed inside each format. Whether stored inside capsules or pods, Coind’s coffee blends always ensure a cup of premium quality espresso, as good as that served in any bar.

The fact that coffee pods consist of two layers of filter paper often makes them more economically sustainable than capsules, which are made from various materials. However, coffee in capsules is actually often cheaper than in pods.

Coind’s prices – both for the retail sector, for the Horeca and Vending channel, and for the “third party” sector – are often similar for both pods and capsules.

Those who favour coffee pods are often attracted by the fact of their eco-sustainability, since they are biodegradable… but the market also offers a whole series of capsules that are also compostable, so here too, a kind of parity reigns between the two.

Coind, for example, through its partnership with the Coop supermarket chain, has created a series of compostable capsules for the FiorFiore line, whose Tintoretto capsules can be safely disposed of in organic wet bins, without any environmental impact.