Managing Brand Color Accuracy in Consumer-Packaged Goods with Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year

The unveiling of Pantone’s Color of the Year is always an exciting moment across industries, and for 2025, PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse has taken center stage.

This rich, warm brown evokes comfort, reliability, and sophistication, making it a perfect choice for consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brands aiming to establish a strong shelf presence. However, managing the consistency of such a nuanced color across diverse packaging materials and suppliers is no small feat. That’s where a Print Quality Program can be helpful.

Establishing Trust Through Color Accuracy

In the highly competitive CPG market, packaging is often the first touchpoint between a product and a potential customer. When colors appear inconsistent or off-brand, consumers may perceive a problem with quality, leading to lost trust. With thousands of new products hitting the shelves each year, maintaining precise color consistency is vital for brand integrity and consumer confidence.

An X-Rite Pantone Print Quality Program provides an end-to-end solution to achieve predictable and consistent color across global suppliers and varied packaging types. By leveraging digital tools and technologies, brands can ensure Mocha Mousse—and every other color—remains consistent, no matter the substrate or printing process.

A Digital Color Lifecycle for CPG Packaging

Managing brand color accuracy begins with defining and maintaining clear color standards. Here’s how X-Rite’s workflow ensures success from design to production:

1. Brand Owners Specify Color Standards.
   With PantoneLIVE, brand owners can define and share precise digital color standards, including custom brand colors like Mocha Mousse. These standards are securely stored in the cloud, granting controlled access to designers, prepress teams, and suppliers.
2. Designers Create Packaging.
   Designers use tools like Adobe® Illustrator® integrated with PantoneLIVE to incorporate approved brand colors. This allows them to visualize how Mocha Mousse will appear on various substrates and with different printing technologies before production begins.
3. Print Suppliers Produce Packaging.
   Print suppliers rely on tools like ColorCert, XRGA-compliant spectrophotometers like eXact 2, and the NetProfiler performance platform to measure ad compare printed output against predefined standards. Real-time feedback from ColorCert enables press operators to make immediate adjustments, ensuring every print run meets brand expectations.
4. Production Reporting for Continuous Improvement ColorCert compiles print quality metrics into a digital ScoreCard, giving brands immediate access to color quality for each supplier. This transparency eliminates the need for onsite press checks and supports accountability within the supply chain.

Why Mocha Mousse Matters for Packaging

As a versatile and sophisticated shade, Mocha Mousse is ideal for creating packaging that resonates with modern consumers. It’s warm, earthy tone exudes comfort while maintaining an air of elegance, making it perfect for products ranging from luxury goods to everyday essentials. However, achieving this effect consistently requires precise color management.

With X-Rite’s suite of tools, brands and suppliers can ensure Mocha Mousse translates across packaging types such as folding cartons, stand-up pouches, and overwraps. This level of consistency not only strengthens brand identity but also minimizes production waste and reduces costly color rejections.

In partnership with Pantone, Pura unveils an exclusive Pantone Color of the Year 2025 launch: the best-selling Pura 4 diffuser, matched to the hue, and two custom fragrances—Mocha Moments and Mocha Suede—creating a complete sensory journey.

The Benefits of Digital Print Quality Management

Implementing X-Rite’s Digital Print Quality Program offers numerous advantages:

• Streamlined Processes: Eliminates inefficiencies by aligning all stakeholders on achievable color standards.
• Cost Savings: Reduces rejects and rework by setting realistic expectations early in the design phase.
• Sustainability: Minimizes waste by achieving accurate color reproduction on the first attempt.
• Global Consistency: Ensures brand integrity across different packaging materials and suppliers worldwide.

Get Started with a Free Color Assessment Profile

Understanding how Mocha Mousse and other brand colors will appear on various substrates is critical for success. X-Rite offers a complimentary Color Assessment Profile to help brands evaluate how well they can achieve colors using current reproduction methods. This custom report provides actionable insights into achieving consistent brand color across all packaging types.

Brands like Coca-Cola, Perfetti Van Melle, and Soap & Glory have already leveraged X-Rite’s digital color solutions to achieve remarkable results, from improving worldwide quality scores to reducing production claims by up to 30%.

Partner with X-Rite for Color Excellence

As a leader in color management, X-Rite Pantone offers an open ecosystem to simplify the complexities of packaging production. With solutions tailored to the unique challenges of the CPG industry, we’re here to help your brand embrace Mocha Mousse and every other color with confidence and consistency.

Speak with one of our Brand Packaging Color Experts today to learn how we can help your brand shine on the shelf.