Cafe Guardiao by Tipz wins Bronze in A' Packaging Design Award

Tipz’s redesign of Cafe Guardiao coffee packaging for Cooabriel won Bronze in the A' Design Award’s Packaging Design category in Como, Italy. The recognition highlights how the packaging helped reposition conilon coffee as a premium product and supported sales gains after the relaunch.

Why it matters: - The Bronze recognition gives Tipz and Cooabriel third-party validation for a packaging redesign tied to commercial results. - The project shows how packaging can help shift perceptions of conilon coffee, a variety often associated with lower quality in its producing region. - The redesign also demonstrates a path for cooperatives and emerging producers to improve shelf presence, justify premium pricing and reach retail channels.

What happened: - The A' Design Award named Cafe Guardiao by Tipz a Bronze recipient in the Packaging Design category in Como, Italy. - The winning work was a premium roasted and ground coffee packaging redesign created for Cooabriel, a conilon coffee cooperative in Latin America. - The award announcement dates to June 26, 2026.

The details: - The visual identity centers on the archangel Sao Gabriel, shown in an engraving-style illustration with protective wings as the main graphic element. - The design uses bold condensed typography to improve shelf hierarchy. - Matte lamination over kraft and deep teal substrates adds tactile quality and raises perceived value. - Tradicional and Extra Forte are differentiated by substrate color and illustration tone while keeping the range visually consistent. - Flexographic printing delivered the premium matte finish within cost constraints. - After the relaunch, Tradicional sales volume rose 45% and Extra Forte sales volume increased 17%. - Cafe Guardiao is the proprietary roasted and ground coffee brand of Cooabriel. - The brand launched in March 2019 as Cooabriel’s first industrialized consumer product. - Cafe Guardiao uses 100% conilon coffee grown by member farming families in Espirito Santo and Bahia. - The brand carries the ABIC quality seal in 250g and 500g formats. - Both lines are roasted and ground at Industria Cafe Guardiao, a dedicated facility opened in 2023 in Sao Domingos do Norte. - The brand underwent a full visual repositioning in January 2025 and expanded into new retail chains and food service accounts across Espirito Santo state. - Team members included Creative Director Ricardo Montenegro Pessanha and Creative Designer Mateus Matos Montenegro. - Interested parties can learn more about the project at the dedicated A' Design Award page.

Between the lines: - The award suggests the design industry values packaging that combines cultural storytelling with measurable business impact. - The sales lift hints that the redesign did more than refresh visuals; it likely helped the brand reframe its value proposition at retail. - Tipz’s approach fits a broader trend in branding where design strategy is treated as a growth lever, not just a cosmetic update.

What's next: - The recognition may help Tipz win more packaging work from brands seeking repositioning and retail differentiation. - Cooabriel can likely use the award in marketing and sales discussions as proof of product and brand quality. - The project may become a reference point for other producers looking to elevate underappreciated agricultural categories.

The bottom line: - Cafe Guardiao’s Bronze win is both a design honor and a business case for packaging as a tool for premium positioning.