Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee (“Mother Parkers”), one of North America’s leading coffee and tea companies and the largest supplier of private-label coffee and tea, has invested in new production capability to provide a new, more sustainable packaging option for coffee formats.

The Boardio® paperboard canister, provided by a world leader in sustainable consumer packaging Graphic Packaging International ("Graphic Packaging"), provides an alternative to plastic, glass, and metal containers and delivers the same level of freshness and food safety with less waste.

Recent research[1] shows consumers want packaging that is better for the environment, and many are willing to pay more for it. The consumers surveyed preferred Boardio packaging over current can and bag options that dominate today’s retail coffee market.

The new packaging delivers on sustainability, with:

• Increased transportation efficiency, as Boardio is delivered flat. Just three trucks are required for inbound packaging vs. 56 for pre-formed cans.[2]
• A minimum of 50% less plastic[3] versus Mother Parkers' previous bag format
• A minimum of 80% paperboard, that is FSC® certified
• Boardio also carries the How2Recycle® ‘widely accepted’ certification[4].

“Our new packaging solution is a win for the planet, for our customers and their consumers,” said Kim Cunningham, Mother Parkers’ chief commercial officer. “It offers a recyclable packaging option with less plastic, without sacrificing any of the freshness, consistency, or quality that Mother Parkers-produced coffee is known for. For retailers with private label coffee programs, it’s a way to show innovation, gain share, and drive shelf and transportation efficiencies, all while supporting their sustainability objectives.”

The new packaging is the result of a partnership between Mother Parkers and Graphic Packaging to create a recyclable paperboard canister specifically tailored for coffee using Graphic Packaging’s Boardio technology.

“We’re committed to innovation, sustainability, and meeting the rapidly evolving demands of consumers,” said Johan Werme, Graphic Packaging’s head of sales for paperboard canister solutions. “By helping our customer Mother Parkers to transition from plastic into Boardio, we’re helping them make a world of difference to their customers, consumers—and to our planet.”

Mother Parkers will begin packing roast and ground coffee in Boardio from its Fort Worth, Texas facility in late 2024.

[1] Fiber Board Packaging Research USA–C.J. Leonard Market Research, Commissioned by Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee, December 2022. Based on US can and bag coffee buyers.

[2] Boardio® GPI Systems for Coffee. Sustainable, paperboard coffee packaging 2022.

[3] Minimum 50% less plastic based on comparison of Boardio 112x89x150H container vs. Mother Parkers coffee composite bag; both packaging options hold 12oz ground coffee.

[4] Excludes freshness seal.