From Convertor Lead Times to Same-Day Labels: How Wiara Coffee Unlocked Their Private Label Business
Wiara Coffee uses the Epson ColorWorks CW-C4000 to design and print labels on demand, eliminating traditional convertor lead times and allowing private label coffee orders to be produced and shipped the same day.
From outsourced labels to a fully on-demand private label workflow
Wiara Coffee needed a way to remove minimum label order quantities, shorten turnaround times and stop label availability from holding up coffee production. Bringing label printing in-house with Epson ColorWorks transformed the way the business handles both its own products and private label customers.
About Wiara Coffee
Founded in 2018, Wiara Coffee is a specialty coffee roastery based in Durbanville, Cape Town, focused on small-batch roasting for coffee lovers, restaurants, offices and businesses across South Africa.
Their green coffee beans are sourced from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Brazil and Colombia, with each origin contributing its own distinctive character to the final roast.
Beyond roasting, Wiara supplies cafés, restaurants and offices, provides barista training and coffee equipment solutions, and offers private label — or white label — coffee to businesses wanting to market coffee under their own brand.
It was this private label side of the business where traditional label production became a significant bottleneck.
Minimum orders and long convertor lead times
Before bringing label production in-house, Wiara ordered all its labels through a traditional label convertor. Several different labels were required for Wiara's own blends, with additional unique labels needed for every private label customer.
Running out of labels could stop an order
Minimum order quantities made the process expensive, while long production lead times created a more serious operational problem. If Wiara ran out of labels for a particular blend, the coffee could not be supplied under the correct branding until replacement labels arrived.
Minimum orders proved costly
“There were minimum orders required and together with several different labels required for Wiara's own blends as well as for the private labels, this proved costly. Another challenge was when receiving an order from a private label customer, there would be a long lead time from designing the label and then waiting for it to be produced by a label convertor.”
— Ryno Turketti, Director
Special requests had to wait for labels
The operational impact extended beyond cost. On more than one occasion Wiara ran out of labels for a particular blend before replacement stock arrived, forcing the team to use an alternative blend label simply to fulfil an order.
Special request orders could also be delayed because finished roasted coffee could not be supplied without a label on the packet.
Labels were holding up special orders
“It also meant delays in supplying special request orders as the coffee produced couldn't be supplied without a label.”
— Ryno Turketti, Director
Epson ColorWorks CW-C4000: one label or two hundred, printed on demand
The Epson ColorWorks range was introduced to Wiara Coffee by Hugh Davies of Zelva Consulting, who identified on-demand colour label printing as a direct fit for the roastery's requirements.
After assessing Wiara's expected print volumes and available budget, the Epson ColorWorks CW-C4000 was selected. It provided the right balance for Wiara's current label volumes while giving the business the flexibility to produce a wide range of SKUs without traditional minimum order quantities.
Labels can now be produced only when they are needed — whether that means a single label or a run of a couple of hundred.
Print what is required, when it is required
“The fact that we were able to design and print labels as and when required and be able to print anything from one to a couple of hundred labels as well as print a wide range of SKUs was ideal. It also meant that we could eliminate long production lead times from traditional label convertors.”
— Ryno Turketti, Director
Canva stayed — the waiting disappeared
Importantly, Wiara did not need to change the way its team designed labels. The business was already creating artwork internally using Canva.
The CW-C4000 fitted directly into that existing workflow. Once a design is complete, instead of sending the artwork to an external convertor and waiting for production, the label can simply be printed immediately in-house.
Same-day private label turnaround
The long label production lead times have been removed entirely. Urgent and short-notice private label requests can now be designed and printed immediately, materially improving the service Wiara can provide.
This is particularly valuable because private label coffee represents a significant part of the business. A customer label can now be designed, printed and applied to the coffee packets without waiting for an external supplier.
The private label business became more efficient
“The supply of white label coffee is a large part of our business and the fact that we can now design a label for a customer, print it immediately and supply the labelled coffee packets quickly, has really enhanced the efficiency of the business.”
— Ryno Turketti, Director
The printer is doing more than coffee packet labels
The flexibility extends beyond standard coffee orders. If Wiara purchases beans from a new source, the team can immediately create a new label rather than waiting for a print run before the new coffee can be packaged.
The CW-C4000 has also found additional uses that were not part of the original requirement, including company asset labels and shipping labels for outgoing orders.
What changed after installing the Epson ColorWorks CW-C4000
Easy to use and versatile across the business
“We can do quick label changes which is important if we purchase beans from a new source and need to print a new label. The versatility of the Epson ColorWorks C4000 has allowed us to print labels for other applications other than the coffee packets. The C4000 is so easy to use and has integrated perfectly with the Canva Design package that we were using.”
— Ryno Turketti, Director, Wiara Coffee
Specialty small-batch coffee roasting in Durbanville
Wiara Coffee is a specialty coffee roastery based in Durbanville, Cape Town, supplying wholesale and private label coffee, barista training and coffee equipment solutions across South Africa.
For more information, contact Ryno Turketti at ryno@wiaracoffee.co.za or call +27 72 594 6701.
Zelva Consulting
The Epson ColorWorks solution was provided by Zelva Consulting. Hugh Davies introduced the ColorWorks range to Wiara Coffee and helped identify the CW-C4000 as the appropriate fit for the company's printing requirements and budget.
Want to Bring Your Label Printing In-House?
Speak to Intellistor about Epson ColorWorks on-demand colour label printers and practical ways to reduce outsourced label lead times, eliminate minimum order quantities and gain more control over your label production.
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