SYPCOFFEE: Packaging Designed Around a Company Mission
Anyone who knows about starting a business can tell you this. It’s tough. Being an entrepreneur means thinking through a concept from beginning to end. And the questions! Will it be worth it? What is the company mission? Is it sustainable? How can you build confidence in your brand?
For Craig Margolius, founder of SYPCOFFEE it began as a very clear thought: life is short. It was a “seize the moment” belief that led him to begin a company guided by an underlying mission that superseded the product.
After a sudden personal loss, Craig found himself leaving an enjoyable and familiar corporate environment for the world of entrepreneurship because he asked himself “what’s the worst that could really happen?”
SYPCOFFEE was founded with a mission to help others confidently recognize the special people in their lives. As a coffee and gift boutique they offer handcrafted packages- paying special attention to each tiny detail. You’ll find wax seals, handwritten notes and special cards detailing coffee origin notes and info about elevation, processing method, and flavor profiles. Choose from delicious signature infused sugars to go that extra mile.
CompanyBox caught up with Craig to discuss how he created a business centered on small moments, smiles and customized gifts for the people in our lives.
A big part of SYPCOFFEE is focused on allowing customers to purchase gifts for others. Tell us why this is important to you.
Really, the first thing we wrote before starting anything – which we call the SYPCOFFEE Manifesto (that is written inside every gift) – ends with the acknowledgement that a single moment is all it takes to bring a fresh smile, make a gorgeous day or reinforce a beautiful life. Those moments you give to others really could be precipitated by any product or service – we just happen to LOVE helping you do this with coffee. With a love for coffee as a consumer, I knew that as a company, we must be guided by an underlying and very real mission superseding the product. My life experiences helped give proof to this mission.
Your gift packaging is beautiful. Why did you make the decision to invest in unique packaging?
Everything we do is driven by a goal to earn your trust and confidence in gifting. And that trust must be built on ensuring a remarkable experience for you at every step – from ordering through roasting, personalizing, unpacking and of course, tasting. And really that’s what makes SYPCOFFEE so fun for us! There are simply no limits on the multitude of creative ways to imbue a satisfying and – what we’re really striving for! – remarkable impression for you and your recipient.
Handwritten notes are something you don’t see very often anymore. Talk a little about the time it takes to write them. Is it worth it?
As our manifesto states, SYPCOFFEE are ‘handcrafted packages of impending moments’ and handwritten cards are just another way to help guarantee that promise. Handwriting may not be the most efficient or easily scalable way, but we can promise you it will always be THE way.
Talk about the process of finding coffee farms that you trust for your brand.
In the beginning, we aimed to visit each farm from which we sourced and while we are not able to keep this really enjoyable part of the journey up, we do want to ensure clarity and transparency into every unique origin and farm from which we source.
There are so many incredible sources of specialty grade coffee from around the world – and so many amazing people involved to ensure such variety – that every month, you will always find new selections from which to choose. And its true – you may enjoy a given months’ selection more or less than prior – but such consistent variety may help introduce new origins and profiles that you never knew you could enjoy so much!!!
What has custom packaging done for SYPCOFFEE?
Our packaging is designed to sincerely leave a memorable impression. We strive for it to be of such high quality that gift components may be reused and remembered long after the last cup of SYPCOFFEE. For example, this is why all of our giftboxes are handcrafted here in the US from brushed Birch and Pine Wood…and why our soy candles are poured in very easily cleaned and reusable Lowball Glasses! How could one possibly discard, nevermind forget your beautiful gift!?
What tips would you give someone just starting their own e-commerce business?
From the beginning, the below components have always helped us:
(a) Meet 1 new person a day – the perspective gained in listening to someone new can have a remarkable effect on your drive and creativity, both personally and professionally
(b) Always stay open and flexible. We started with a single gift, available online only. Through customer feedback, inquiry and critique, we now offer corporate gifting, gift delivery, wholesale, event services and even opened our first Gift Boutique proof of concept. Without a constant willingness to pivot, we would never keep discovering additional opportunities
(c) Most importantly, make certain you are always having fun! And working hard really should be immensely fun if there is an underlying joy in what you do.
Interested in creating custom gift packaging that makes an impression? We can help. Also, check out SYPCOFFEE’s online shop to send a gift to a special person or try out their delicious coffee.
How can we help?
We’re all ears. Drop us a line and we’ll get in touch!
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