Excelencia Tequitl Achto: Icaltzin Café by Tipz is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli in Tlaquimilolli Tlachihchihualiztli Competition Category.
TepoztliTlaquimilolli· 2026
Excelencia Tequitl Achto: Icaltzin Café
by Tipz
Client: Guardiao
Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli Winner in Tlaquimilolli Category
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The Design
About Excelencia Tequitl Achto: Icaltzin Café
In icaltzin café itoca Guardiao Excelencia quitequitiltia ce tlachializtli tlahtolli tlen quiza itech itlachiyaltiliz ce ángel tepixqui. In tlapepechtli tlen amo huel tlacpac itech pani quichihua in tlatlapaltiliz ahztli tlamachiliztli, tenotza ma quimatoca achto in compa mopohua. Ce tlatehtequiliztli tlen quipia iahztli ixnezcayo quiixquetza in tlapohualiztli tlapaltilli, quicuepa in tlanamaquiliztli itech ce yolyemanqui tlamahuiztililiztli. Ce coztic tlazcaltilli tlaseliztli itech ixnezca teixpan quimachiotia iceltiliz tlachihuani tlaneltoquiliztli. In yolyemanqui tlapepechtli iuhqui ayotl itech mochi tlaixtli quimelahua tlazohtli tlaixmatiliztli ihuan quitemaca tlanamiquiliztli itech in tlatlaliliztli tlapepechtli.
The Recognition
About the Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli
Excelencia Tequitl Achto: Icaltzin Café ca in quicuic in Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli, tlamahuizoliztli tlen momaca in cualli dizayno in quitlalia in tlen monequi ipan tequitl ihuan tlachihualiztli in quimaca in cualli tlachihualli. In quicuicah Tepoztli quinextia in hueyi tlamatiliztli, toltecayotl ihuan ihuelitiliztli intlachihuanime. Ca quinequi in Excelencia Tequitl Achto: Icaltzin Café ca tlazohtli, mahuiztic, yancuic ihuan motequiuhtia. Ni dizayno in quicuic Tepoztli quihuelitia in tlamatiliztli ihuan quipia chicahualiztli tlen tepoztli. Excelencia Tequitl Achto: Icaltzin Café quicualtia in nemiliztli ihuan quihuelitia in cemanahuac ica cualli.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Guardiao Excelencia packaging creates a multi-sensory identity for premium Conilon. Low-relief embossing turns the guardian wings into a 3D texture on the surface, adding sophistication without extra ink. A wing-shaped die-cut forms the opening, while a gold hot-stamp seal honors each producer. Soft-touch matte lamination boosts contrast. After the Jan 2025 launch, Natural sales rose 50% and Fermented 30%.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Package dimensions: 110 mm x 220 mm. Structured cardboard substrate. Exterior finish: soft-touch matte lamination. Surface treatment: low-relief embossing on wing motif panel. Opening mechanism: precision wing-shaped die-cut flap. Front accent: gold hot-stamp producer seal. Contents: roasted and ground conilon coffee. Two product variants presented in the same structural format: Natural and Fermented.
- Tags
- Coffee Packaging, Conilon Coffee, Specialty Coffee, Embossed Packaging, Brazilian Coffee, Archangel, Cooperative, Premium Packaging, Sensory Design, Producer Recognition
- Production Technology
- The packaging is produced in structured cardboard with soft-touch matte lamination applied to all exterior surfaces. The guardian wing motif is rendered through low-relief embossing without additional ink or foil, allowing the texture to communicate through light and touch alone. The opening panel follows a precision wing-shaped die-cut, which is a structural feature derived directly from the brand iconography. A hot-stamped gold foil seal is applied to the front face to mark individual producer recognition. All production processes are compatible with mid-run commercial printing.
- Design Challenge
- The primary challenge was overcoming established market perception of conilon coffee as an inferior variety. Designing credible premium packaging for a product with a historically stigmatized reputation required a strategy that was both visually grounded and commercially viable. The identity needed to stand apart from arabica-focused premium brands on shared retail shelving while remaining true to the cooperative's agricultural heritage. A secondary constraint was translating symbolic complexity, the archangel iconography and wing geometry, into production-feasible structural and print techniques at a mid-run scale.
- Research
- Qualitative research was conducted to understand consumer perception of conilon coffee within the premium specialty segment. Research objectives focused on identifying barriers to premiumization for this Brazilian variety and defining visual strategies to address them. Methods included field interviews with cooperative members and retail shelf observation. The archangel symbolism emerged from cultural and geographic immersion in the Espirito Santo region. Post-launch commercial data served as a quantitative measure of outcome, with the Natural variant recording a 50 percent sales increase and the Fermented variant a 30 percent increase.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by Saint Gabriel the Archangel and the coffee lands of Saint Gabriel da Palha, Espirito Santo, Brazil, the name was chosen by a priest to declare that the region’s livelihood is blessed and protected. That belief becomes design: a pack that opens through wing-shaped flaps, a physical seal that unfolds to reveal the coffee and suggest protection from farm to cup. It elevates Conilon beyond commodity, celebrating traceable origin, craftsmanship, and local pride.
- Project Duration
- The project was developed in Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil. The designed packaging was launched commercially in March 2025.
- Operation Flow
- The package is opened by lifting two lateral wing-shaped flaps that replicate the archangel wing geometry of the visual identity. This opening gesture functions as a structured ritual: the wings unfold outward, framing the moment of first access to the product. Before the package is opened, the gold producer seal on the front face communicates origin and individual recognition. The embossed wing surface and the soft matte finish invite tactile engagement throughout handling. The overall interaction is designed to slow the act of opening and increase perceived value at the point of experience.
- Team Members
- Creative Director: Ricardo Montenegro
Creative Designer: Mateus Montenegro
Art Assistant: Gabriel Mendes
Copywriter: Ian Fassina - Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Gabriel Mendes, 2025
Image #2: Photographer Gabriel Mendes, 2025
Image #3: Photographer Gabriel Mendes, 2025
Image #4: Photographer Gabriel Mendes, 2025
Image #5: Photographer Gabriel Mendes, 2025
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