Coffee mugs are a popular purchased item, but do you know how many coffee mugs are sold each year? Recent studies have found that the coffee mug industry is a sizable one, with billions of mugs sold every year worldwide. From specialty coffee mugs to personalized mugs for special occasions–like Christmas, it is clear that people are buying them in large numbers. So, our mug wrapping systems are a necessary upgrade for a mug manufacturer to keep up with this ever-growing industry. Mug wrapping systems like our top-of-the-line model: the SMW-AUTO, can wrap up to 15+ mugs a minute and wraps up the coffee mug market as one of the most advanced systems for high-speed mug wrapping.
Why did coffee mugs become so popular?
Seventy-eight years ago, the Victor Insulator Company released thick, white mugs with nonslip bottoms for use by the US Navy, which sparked a significant coffee mug trend. Today, machines like our mug wrappers specialize in wrapping sublimation sheets around 11-15 oz white mugs. Our patent-pending SMW-AUTO mug wrapper was designed to speed up the process and improve the accuracy of wrapping sublimation sheets around mugs.
SMW-AUTO Mug Wrap System
SMW-AUTO Wrapping Process:
Mugs are placed into the pockets of the indexing conveyor with handles up. The handle alignment system rotates all handles to the 12 o’clock position. Sublimation sheets are single-fed from a friction feeder and the barcode on the sublimation sheet is read with a barcode scanner. If there is a problem with the barcode (duplicate order, canceled order, no-read, etc.) the sublimation sheet is rejected below, not being applied to a mug, and a new sublimation sheet is fed and scanned. Approved sublimation sheets are fed into the wrap station. Industry-proven tape dispensers feed the precise length of tape, and the tape is applied to the sublimation sheet.
Mugs index to a Print and Apply Labeler to have a matching printed barcode label applied. A linear stepper-driven actuator plucks the coffee mugs off the indexing conveyor and the labeled mugs are moved into the wrapping station. The sheet is lifted making contact with the mug at 6 o’clock. Wrapping arms continue up the circumference of the mug pulling the sheet and pressing tape onto the mug by the handles. The sublimation sheet is taped straight and taught on the mug. The wrap arms retract.
The mug is placed back onto the conveyor. A barcode reader reads the barcode on the sublimation sheet and compares with the barcode label applied to the bottom of the mug, making sure they are identical.
Future of the Coffee Mug Market:
In the United States alone, an estimated $2.75 billion worth of mugs were sold in 2019, with sales increasing by 6.2% from 2018. This market is expected to grow in the coming years, with the US expected to become the largest mug market. Additionally, the global market for coffee mugs is estimated to be worth $5.5 billion, driven by increased disposable income, a growing coffee culture, and increasing demand for coffee. As a result, the coffee mug market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% between 2020 and 2027.
The coffee mug market accounted for over 20% of total drinkware market revenue in 2022. It has seen an increase in popularity over the last few years, which is expected to continue in the coming years. According to the Global Coffee Mugs Market Report, the market has grown steadily due to the increasing demand for functional and aesthetically pleasing mugs. Coffee mugs have evolved as their design and material evolve, as have their requirements and usage. Coffee mugs are expected to remain a popular product–like in Boulder, Colorado.
Every year, thousands of coffee mugs are sold in and around Boulder, making it one of the country’s most successful coffee mug markets. With the ever-growing demand for coffee mugs in Boulder, it is estimated that over 5,000 coffee mugs are sold each year in the city. Whether you are a coffee connoisseur or an occasional coffee drinker, you can find the perfect coffee mug in Boulder. And we have the best machines to bring your mugs to life by wrapping your favorite designs around it!
Interested in our Mug Wrappers?
CALL: +1 (800) 298-8936 FOR A QUOTE!