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Article: Chaos Packaging – Coffee in a Tube

aluminium tube

Chaos Packaging – Coffee in a Tube

Have you ever heard of the term "chaos packaging"? In this blog post, we will dive deeper into the explanation of this relatively new term and explore why No Normal Coffee fits into this category.

Chaos Packaging Products Summary
Chaos packaged products.

A drink in a soap dispenser, olive oil in a squeezable bottle, toothpaste in tablet form, or coffee in a tube — chaos packaging refers to a packaging method where a product is packaged in a way that is typically associated with a completely different type of product category. 


To give you an idea of how such packaging can look like, we put together a collection of products that use that concept of "chaos packaging."

Typical examples include:

Oshun

A product that offers electrolytes, something that one would typically find in small sachets. However, this brand opted to package them in a dispenser that resembles a soap pump.

Oshun Electrolyte Drink
Oshun – Electrolyte Concentrate in a soap bottle.

Happy

A coffee brand, co-founded by celebrity Robert Downey Jr., that uses packaging which resembles a pharmaceutical product.
 

Happy Coffee
Happy – the Coffee that looks like medicine.

Bite

Toothpaste as tablets packaged in jars, breaking away from the usual toothpaste tube format.

Bite Toothpaste
Bite - The toothpaste that comes in bits.

Plus

A body wash that comes in dissolvable sheets instead of the standard squeezable bottle, reinventing personal care – for less weight and less waste.

Plus bodywash
Plus – bodywash as sheets.

Graza

A squeezable olive oil packaged in a plastic bottle, differing from the usual glass bottle with a twist-off cap.

Graza Olive Oil
Graza – the olive oil that you squeeze.

Departed Spirits

Departed Spirits is known for its unruly nature – with their tagline “top shelf spirits for bottom shelf people” they sell the world’s best spirits in a tin. The utilitarian tin flasks scream anti-craft in an overly saturated category of glass bottles.

Deaparted Spirits Alcohol in Tin
Departed Spirits – the alcohol that comes in a tin.

What these products have in common is their unexpected and unconventional packaging, that not only causes confusion, but also offers a new perspective on the suitability and usefulness of conventional packaging methods that we are normally used to. The term "chaos" really does make sense in this context since these products disrupt unspoken rules that help us quickly identify items, creating a sense of playful disorder and surprise.

The terms' origin

Chaos Packaging by Michael J. Miraflor on X
The post that originated the term "Chaos Packaging".

The term "chaos packaging" is actually relatively new. It supposedly originated from a post on X by a guy named Michael Miraflor, who works at a venture firm specializing in consumer packaged goods (CPG). 


It is said that the main reason behind such packaging choices would often be brands trying to stand out in today's increasingly saturated market in order to capture the attention of potential buyers. 


But was that the original intention behind No Normal Coffee as well?

Chaos Packaging X No Normal Coffee

Coffee in a tube
Alex squeezing No Normal Coffee out of the tube.

The decision to package coffee in a tube came from the need of Alex and Philippe, the founders of No Normal Coffee, to find a packaging method suitable for the outdoors. During a hike in the mountains of Verbier, Switzerland, they craved a flavorful coffee break at the summit to celebrate the breathtaking beauty of nature and their athletic achievement. However, typical instant alternatives lacked flavor, and the Moka pot was too bulky and cumbersome to carry in a backpack for the ascent. So, they needed a practical, lightweight, and flexible alternative — hence the coffee in a tube. (Read more about the story behind No Normal Coffee here.)

The aluminum tube, a popular packaging method in Switzerland, offers several advantages, making it perfect for outdoor activities. You can read more about its benefits and why Alex and Philippe decided to put coffee in a tube in out blog article here.

Coffee in a Tube
No Normal Coffee – the coffee in a tube.

The initial idea behind coffee in a tube therefore wasn’t primarily about standing out with an unconventional packaging method for our product category; it was mainly driven by its functional benefits. The same goes for the name “No Normal”— it doesn’t necessarily refer to the packaging (even though it does fit quite well) but rather to the people we’re targeting with our product and overall "no normal" brand. If you want to learn more about how the name came about, watch the following video on our Instagram channel.

Reviews

As we developed No Normal Coffee and began selling it, people started associating us with the term “chaos packaging.” We realized we were breaking conventions, which generated buzz, controversy, and fascination around our product. The following two videos present our and other already known products that disrupt the industry by choosing unusual packaging methods. You can watch them by clicking on the images below.

Review from Brooke Yoakam
IG @thebrandblueprint
Chaos Packaging trends
IG @freckledesign.studio

Frequently Made Associations with No Normal Coffee


Based on the reactions from our community – those who watched the video by @pullandpourcoffee (Instagram), as well as feedback from people at festivals, other events where we served our coffee in a tube, and our closest circle - we have created a final collection of the top 4 products that are most frequently being associated with our coffee (with a personal estimation of the quantity breakdown):

Diagram with product associations estimations.
Estimated frequency of product associations with No Normal Coffee.

Conclusion

Choosing packaging methods typically associated with certain product categories makes sense because it offers consumers a shortcut when looking for a specific product in the supermarket. Toothpaste comes in a tube, olive oil in a glass bottle, and detergent in a container. This helps shoppers quickly identify products, saving time and effort.


Chaos packaging can complicate this process, requiring more time and energy to find the product. On the other hand, it encourages us to question traditional packaging methods that are deeply ingrained in our society, even though other packaging solutions might be just as good or even better suited.


In the case of No Normal Coffee, the tube packaging fits its purpose. The idea of packaging it that way is therefore purely out of functional reasons - it is flexible, easy to carry, and provides a convenient caffeine boost that takes up little space, requires minimal water, and delivers an energy kick anytime, anywhere. However, we’re also very fine with No Normal being associated with breaking conventions and disrupting the norm a little. 

References

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Beautiful Hiking Trips in Switzerland – Adventure Tips

For this blog article we asked three members of our community to share their favorite trail in the Swiss mountains with us. Definitely recommend going outdoors and trying them out yourself!

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