Khomanta Coffee Shows Peru And Its Nature In A Figurative Way

Originally, Manta Coffee, the coffee brand known as Khomanta, visualizes Peruvian culture through its vibrant and illustrated packaging designed by Alejandro Gavancho. The packaging of these bags is anything but monotonous, and the colors alone will help it stand out on a shelf in a sea of competitors.

Khomanta in Aymara, an indigenous language spoken in the southern mountains of Peru, means hug or embrace. The concept of khomanta has been shown through the “manta”, a brightly coloured knitted blanket that is worn by inidgenous women in the Peruvian Andes and originates from prehispanic times. Each one holds a story behind its textures, shapes and colours and serves two main purposes, to keep the body warm in low highland temperatures and to carry produce and children. Manta Coffee is a brand that takes a piece of Peru to the United States to celebrate our origins and an important part of our culture.

This is a project whose design concept took years to launch on the market because of logistical challenges. The project was initially to be worked as ¨Manta Coffee¨. However, The name changed during the process due to internal reasons.

At the end of last year, Khomanta asked us to create a graphic system for each of their new coffee profiles, being seven in total. We created a main packaging and labels based on the colour universe that was created for the illustration. Altitude and the aroma notes for each variety of coffee were an important factor in choosing the colours.

The client made it clear from the beginning that they wanted to show Peru and its nature in a more figurative way, using the flowers that grow here, the mountains, the spatuletail hummingbird: a bird that is in danger of extinction, and of course the blanket: the inspiration behind the name of the brand.

The solution was to create a scene where all of the elements come together in harmony. The illustration was created following the idea that the blankets are made by hand by the locals, just the same as the coffee. The illustration was then juxtaposed with a modern, timeless logo and a colour palette that is inspired by the colours of Peru, achieving a colourful and striking packaging which tells a story as you discover each element that has been incorporated into the design.