Passenger Coffee: Many Hands, Beautiful Hills

Micro tastings,
macro delight

If you’re a fellow Passenger fan, you probably know the indie roaster takes their sourcing seriously. They choose to work with few producers long-term rather than many producers short-term (as it often goes in the industry). We helped them design a limited edition tasting box—featuring 12 microlots of coffee from Burundi—to showcase their partnership with the Long Miles Coffee Project and the people who make that morning mug possible.

Services Provided

Packaging Design
Graphic Design
Print Coordination
Brand Oversight

Immersing Coffee Drinkers in the place where their cup began

Inside the many hands, *beautiful hills coffee tasting set*

A beautiful box sets the stage for  group tastings

12 canisters contain samples of different lots from the 2021 Burundi harvest

A 40-page photobook features the farmers and process

Designing Outside the Box

When developing the packaging, we were really designing an experience. The cupping set is meant to be a centerpiece for social gatherings, so we paired thoughtful details with practical features.

(See how those canister trays double as tasting displays?)

Farmers Front and Center

We Helped Passenger Celebrate the Growers Behind the Beans.

The book features gorgeous photography of the Burundi farming community, detailed descriptions of the production process, and a comprehensive list of farmers who contributed to the collection.

Most coffee marketing focusing on flavor. This one’s for the farmers.

Each one of the 2,700+ farmers who were a part of this project is credited in the book by name. Passenger also made sure the farmers got to enjoy part of the process they usually don’t: the finished product. (Because coffee farmers sell their beans unroasted, many never get to taste their own crop).

Nice Materials for Even Nicer Coffee

From coffee harvest to box design, this special project was years in the making. We considered how every material would feel, selecting metal canisters for the coffee and richly colored, low-gloss, recyclable, thin-yet-sturdy cardboard for the box. Because it mattered.

This is coffee nerdery at its finest.
And a celebration of sustainable sourcing practices.

It was really special to share the box in Burundi. Infantree would have felt extra proud of the design given how positive the response was from the farmers and other partners we were able to share it with!

Evan Howe

Green Coffee Buyer, Passenger

World Cupping Tour

Passenger wanted to take the tasting box on tour, so they planned cupping events at specialty coffee houses across the country—and beyond. The event series kicked off in Burundi in spring 2024, giving farmers and project partners the chance to sample the collection first.